Chelsea have had a ‘bit of a breakthrough’ in their pursuit of Inter Milan midfielder Cesare Casadei, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The in-demand 19-year-old has attracted attention from several clubs across the continent this summer, but it seems as though the Blues have won the race for his signature.

What is the latest news involving Casadei?

A recent report from the Daily Mail revealed that Chelsea had seen an opening offer of £6 million turned down by Inter for Casadei after it fell well short of their valuation.

However, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has now provided a positive update on the capital club’s pursuit of the Italy Under-19 international.

Romano states that Casadei has ‘agreed personal terms with Chelsea’ and is set to put pen to paper on a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge after turning down the advances of both Nice and Sassuolo.

It’s claimed that the west London outfit’s next official bid ‘will be the right one to complete the deal’ with Inter demanding around €15m (£12.5m) plus add-ons for their academy graduate.

Casadei will be the second teenage midfielder to be snapped up in the current window after they secure the signature of Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa.

What has Romano said about Casadei?

Jones believes that Chelsea are the ‘favourites’ to sign Casadei despite Nice previously coming close to striking a deal and that Thomas Tuchel’s charges now ‘are close to an agreement’.

In an interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “It seems like they’ve had a bit of a breakthrough.

“Yesterday I mentioned there was a bit of concern, and that was because Nice and two Italian teams were looking at him, and there was some feeling the Nice one might happen, but Chelsea are favourites to sign him now and are close to an agreement.”

How good is Casadei?

Casadei is a powerful box-to-box midfielder who has registered 39 goals and eight assists in 104 appearances for various Inter youth sides throughout the years.

Nevertheless, he is yet to make a single senior appearance for the Nerazzurri, so it is difficult to assess just how high his ceiling is at this moment in time.

But the Chelsea hierarchy are clearly convinced about Casadei’s quality and appear to be planning for the future when it comes to their midfield recruitment this summer.

The contracts of both Jorginho and N’Golo Kante are set to expire in 12 months’ time, and Tuchel may be lining up their natural heirs in the shape of Casadei and Chukwuemeka.