Benoit Badiashile to stay at Chelsea despite Milan interest
Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile wants to stay at the club despite reported interest from Italian giants AC Milan, according to Football London.
The 23-year-old Frenchman was signed from AS Monaco 15 months ago on a long-term deal until 2030 but has attracted attention from Milan.
However, Chelsea are keen to keep Badiashile, and the feeling appears to be mutual.
This season has been disrupted by injuries for Badiashile, limiting him to just over 1000 minutes across all competitions.
He missed 19 games, making it difficult to establish a consistent run in the starting line-up.
Badiashile did return to action on Saturday alongside compatriot Axel Disasi at Stamford Bridge and looked shaky against Burnley. He has struggled to reach the levels he did when he first joined from Les Monagesques.
Despite the poor form, he will be hoping to shake the disappointing defensive performance off and feature again when Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
Despite the injury setbacks, Badiashile has reportedly been happy with his spell at Chelsea. The summer transfer window is likely to bring changes to the Blues squad, but he appears set to stay.
Chelsea are actively searching for a new central defender to replace the departing Thiago Silva, whose contract expires at the end of June. The 39-year-old’s exit will mark the end of his four-year stint at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have a couple of options on their radar, including Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande, OGC Nice man Jean-Clair Todibo, and Cobham academy graduate Marc Guehi.
The West Londoners have also been linked with a move for Lille sensation Leny Yoro but face competition from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Apart from the centre-back area, Chelsea could look to reinforce the left-back position and signing a new goalkeeper might be on the cards.
Chelsea will also pursue a new striker this summer to provide Nicolas Jackson with more competition up top.