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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Jacob Steinberg

Chelsea agree £32.7m fee for Monaco centre-back Benoît Badiashile

France defender Benoît Badiashile (left) fights for the ball with Austria forward Karim Onisiwo
Benoît Badiashile has two caps for France. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images

Chelsea are close to bolstering their defence by signing Benoît Badiashile from Monaco for €37m (£32.7m). Badiashile is due to undergo a medical after Chelsea reached an agreement on a fee. The 21-year-old Frenchman is a left-sided centre-back and will give Graham Potter more options.

The west London club have been looking to add more depth in central defence since losing Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rüdiger. Personal terms were agreed with Josko Gvardiol last summer but Chelsea were unable to meet RB Leipzig’s asking price for the Croatia defender. Gvardiol starred during the World Cup, helping Croatia finish third, and will command plenty of interest in the summer.

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