Chelsea have agreed a verbal deal with Napoli for Benoit Badiashile, after confirming the signing of Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano.
Chavarria signs five-year deal
Chavarria has signed a five-year deal, having arrived from Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday in a deal worth an initial £16.3million plus a further £1.7m in add-ons.
While the 28-year-old will provide competition for Jorrel Hato at left-back under new manager Xabi Alonso, it's another defensive addition at Stamford Bridge this summer. Maxence Lacroix has also been recruited from Crystal Palace in a deal that pushes Badiashile even further down the centre-back pecking order.
Badiashile set for Napoli loan
As such, the Frenchman is set to leave in search of regular first-team football. Standard Sport understands that Chelsea and Napoli have reached a verbal agreement for the defender, who has not featured for the Blues since March when he started the FA Cup tie against Wrexham.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Napoli will cover Badiashile's salary and have the option to turn the deal into a permanent one for €27 (£23m) at the end of the season. Chelsea, meanwhile, will receive a €3m (£2.5m) loan fee.
More departures expected
Badiashile's exit is set to trigger a number of Chelsea departures before the transfer window closes next month, with Liam Delap available for £50m this summer as they look to trim their squad further.
Standard Sport understands that the Blues are open to selling Delap just a year after they activated his £30m release clause to sign him from Ipswich Town. The 23-year-old is attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including Nottingham Forest and Everton.
Chelsea are looking to offload several strikers this summer, with Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu subject of both loan and permanent interest.
