Chelsea are reportedly planning to make an improved bid of around £12m for Inter Milan's midfielder starlet Cesare Casadei.
The 19-year-old is yet to make his senior debut for the Nerazzurri but he is regarded as one of the club's brightest prospects and has excelled at youth level.
Casadei, a 6ft 1in box-to-box midfielder, scored 16 goals and provided five assists in 39 appearances for Inter's Under-19s side across all competitions last season.
The Italian's form at youth level is understood to have caught the eye of Chelsea, who are believed to be on the lookout for potential successors to 31-year-old N'Golo Kante and 30-year-old Jorginho.
According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea have already seen two bids under £10m rejected by Inter for Casadei this summer.
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The report adds, however, that the Blues are preparing to table a fresh offer of £12m, which Inter would be willing to accept.
It is thought that Chelsea could loan Casedei back to a club in Serie A or opt to keep the midfielder in their academy.
Casedei, who has represented the Italian national team at youth level from the Under-16s to the Under-19s, has two years remaining on his current contract at San Siro.
Chelsea recently recruited highly-rated teenager Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa for an initial £15m, and the English midfielder is set to remain at Stamford Bridge with Thomas Tuchel's first-team squad.
Eighteen-year-old goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina is another prospect who has signed by the Blues this summer, although the American has returned to MLS side Chicago Fire on loan for the rest of 2022.
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Tuchel has also added three senior figures to his ranks in the form of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella for a combined fee in excess of £130m.
Chelsea remain in the market for new recruits before the September 1 deadline, with a new centre-back still believed to be their primary target.
A recent report claims that the Blues are preparing to lodge a world-record bid to sign Leicester City's Wesley Fofana, having previously seen two offers in excess of £70m rejected by the Foxes.
Chelsea could also oversee a number of outgoings in the coming weeks, with Marcos Alonso seemingly closing in on a move to Barcelona, while Timo Werner has now completed his return to RB Leipzig on a permanent deal.
The likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ethan Ampadu and Malang Sarr have also been linked with departures this summer, the latter of whom is allegedly undergoing a medical with Monaco ahead of joining the French outfit on a season-long loan deal.
Oliver Thomas
