Chelsea thought they had finally gotten rid of Benoît Badiashile after agreeing with Napoli on Thursday. Now the entire agreement is hanging by a thread – due to one small million euros.
The two-time France international has had a tough time at Stamford Bridge. Badiashile arrived as a great talent from AS Monaco at the beginning of 2023, at a price of €38 million.
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Three and a half years later, the 25-year-old has only 71 appearances for Chelsea. Injuries and a lack of confidence from Enzo Maresca have meant that he has hardly played since 2024. – New manager Xabi Alonso does not have him in his plans either.
Last season, he got just over 1000 minutes – and it has long been clear that the days at Stamford Bridge are numbered. After being connected to the output in several transfer windows, it finally seemed to loosen up this week.
Serie A giants Napoli made a breakthrough in negotiations after Chelsea opened up for a loan – despite the fact that they actually prefer regular sales of unwanted players this summer.
Badiashile transfer in jeopardy
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported on Thursday that the clubs were in agreement. Napoli were to cover Badiashile’s salary for the season, pay 3 million euros in loan fees – plus one million in bonuses. In addition, the Italians secured a €27 million purchase option for next summer.
It looked like a low-risk deal for Napoli. Romano gave the trade his famous “here we go”.
But then everything turned around.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, complications arose on Friday. Naples president Aurelio De Laurentiis refuses to approve the transfer – due to disagreement over one million euros in a so-called “buyout bonus”.
De Laurentiis does not want to pay the extra million. And thus the entire agreement is in jeopardy.
Aguerd can take the place
Di Marzio adds that Napoli are now considering Nayef Aguerd – the former West Ham player. The Moroccan was on his way to Real Sociedad this week, but the transfer collapsed when the club discovered irregularities during the medical test.
It would be ironic if the Marseille stopper now ends up in Naples – considering that Italian football has some of Europe’s strictest medical rules for transfers.
Now it remains to be seen whether Napoli will continue their pursuit of Badiashile, or if they will instead go for the potentially cheaper Aguerd – or a completely different option.
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