Chelsea have confirmed the signing of highly-rated teenage star Cesare Casadei from Inter Milan for £12.6m.
The 19-year-old – considered one of the most exciting talents to emerge from Italy in recent years despite having not yet made his senior debut has agreed a six-year deal with the Blues.
Inter had already rejected an offer of £6m for the midfielder before eventually agreeing a fee with the Stamford Bridge side earlier this week. The deal could still see Chelsea pay a further £4million in add-ons.
Despite the high potential in the Italy Under 19 international, he is now expected to feature in Chelsea’s Under 21 side before being introduced into the first team.
Head of youth development Neil Bath told the club’s website: ‘Cesare is a player we have tracked for some time and we are delighted that he has now agreed to join Chelsea, where he will initially strengthen our Under 21s squad.
‘He is another exciting emerging talent who we are looking forward to seeing develop and progress further as he breaks into senior football in the coming years.’
New owner Todd Boehly has splashed the cash at Stamford Bridge this summer, having now spent £191.3m.
CHELSEA’S SUMMER SPENDING
Marc Cucurella (Brighton, £62m)
Raheem Sterling (Man City, £50m)
Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli, £34m)
Carney Chukwuemeka (Aston Villa, £20m)
Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire, £12.7m)
Cesare Casadei (Inter Milan, £12.6m)
