Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has already put his new transfer policy into action by completing the transfer of Cesare Casadei and tying down the youngster to a strikingly-long contract.
Casadei, 19, has made the switch from Inter Milan to Stamford Bridge in a move which sees the Blues capture one of Europe's hottest central-midfield prospects. Although he is yet to make his senior debut at club level, Chelsea have agreed to pay €15million (£13m) up front plus €5million (£4m) in add-ons to secure his services.
The youngster had a fine record for Inter Milan Primavera, their under-19 side, scoring 25 goals and registering seven assists in 66 appearances. He is a regular for Italy at youth level and there is plenty of excitement about what he will bring to the Chelsea first team in the years to come.
To that end, Boehly has put his new strategy regarding player contracts into action, agreeing a six-year contract with Casadei which will keep him in West London until 2028. Premier League clubs rarely hand out deals of such a great length but the Blues chief has instigated a US-style system whereby he is willing to offer players aged below 25 contracts of up to seven years in length.
Among those next in line for long-term extensions are right-back Reece James, attacking midfielder Mason Mount and forward Armando Broja. The trio could be given six-year contracts with the option to extend for another year.
Meanwhile, Casadei - who frequently trained with Inter's established players during his time in his homeland - will join up with Chelsea's under-21s with a view to forging a path into the senior set-up. The club's head of youth development, Neil Bath, said: "Cesare is a player we have tracked for some time and we are delighted that he has now agreed to join Chelsea, where he will initially strengthen our Under-21s squad.
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"He is another exciting emerging talent who we are looking forward to seeing develop and progress further as he breaks into senior football in the coming years." Casadei is the latest arrival in a busy summer of recruitment for Chelsea, who have spent over £150million during Boehly's first window at the helm.
Raheem Sterling joined from Manchester City for £47.5million in a statement transfer, while Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella are the other high-profile arrivals, moving from Napoli and Brighton respectively. The Blues also stumped up £20million to sign Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa, agreeing a six-year contract with the 18-year-old England prospect.
