Chelsea, Manchester United, and Newcastle have reportedly been told to pay up to €60 million to sign AS Monaco’s central defensive powerhouse, Benoit Badiashile.
According to Nice-Martin, AS Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile is once again the subject of interest from clubs across the continent, especially from the Premier League, with Manchester United, Chelsea, and Newcastle United all keeping tabs on his situation.
The English clubs now know how much they will need to pay to secure the services of the 21-year-old France Under-21 international in the summer transfer window. AS Monaco are expected to hold out for between €50 million and €60 million for their prized centre-back.
Only a few nations can compete with France’s abundance of talent, and the conveyer belt of centre-backs shows no signs of slowing down. Raphael Varane, Presnel Kimpembe, William Saliba, Maxence Lacroix, and the list goes on and on, with Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile the most recent addition.
Despite his tender age, the 21-year-old defender has already racked up a century of appearances for Monaco. He has been a big factor in Philippe Clement’s side’s strong end to the season that saw them secure a berth in the Champions League qualifying round for next season, having clinched third place in Ligue 1 last season.
The France Under-21 captain is under contract until 2024, and made 24 appearances in a season hampered by a hamstring injury. Badiashile has been linked with a number of teams throughout Europe in recent transfer windows. A host of Premier League clubs are already circling him, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United.
Newcastle were linked with a €45 million move in January. And their interest has not gone away, even though the Magpies have to be careful about breaching the FFP rules this time around, having already shelled out €37 million on Sven Botman.
Manchester United are expected to move for a new centre-back in the upcoming transfer window, with Phil Jones and Eric Bailly likely to leave the club in search of pastures new. It appears the Red Devils are vying for a left-footed centre-half going by their recent links with Villarreal’s Pau Torres and Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez, making Badiashile a viable alternative.
As for Chelsea, their defence is down to the bare bones due to a mass exodus from their backline at the end of the season, leaving Thomas Tuchel short of experience in the rearguard. As such, the former PSG coach already has his eye on some potential options, but Chelsea have made no signings yet. Badiashile may be young, but in his brief career, he has gathered sufficient experience and could be a good option for the Blues.
That said, Monaco have already filled their coffers at the start of the summer thanks to Aurelien Tchouameni’s blockbuster sale to Real Madrid and are in no rush to sell their stars as they are in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, which might make things tricky for potential suitors. Whether any of Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle follow up their interest by meeting the €60 million asking price remains to be seen.
