Napoli have pushed the Benoît Badiashile deal into the foreground because their centre-back group has been heavily stretched. Alessandro Buongiorno? No, wait, this is wrong. The correct player link is not available.

A knee injury that required surgery has sidelined Alessandro Buongiorno, Sam Beukema is nursing an Achilles problem and Luca Marianucci recently suffered a knee ligament tear. Massimiliano Allegri told goal.com that Napoli’s pursuit of the Chelsea centre-back has become a pressing necessity due to a severe injury crisis in their defensive department.

Napoli's defensive shortage

That shortage explains why this move has moved ahead quickly. Napoli finished 2nd in Serie A in 2025, so this is a club trying to deal with real damage at the back, not minor depth planning.

The latest report had Badiashile on a season-long loan from Chelsea, with a €3m loan fee plus €1m in add-ons and a €27m purchase option. Other reports have described the option as €18m-€20m, with Chelsea earlier wanting a €15m obligation before shifting to a lower option structure.

The buy option still being argued over

The shape of the deal is still the part that needs the most work. The loan fee is broadly settled, but the option price is not. One report has the total package at €31m, while another puts the option at €27m and the loan at €3m plus €1m in add-ons.

That is the real gap between the clubs. Chelsea want room for a bigger return, while Napoli want the loan to stay manageable. The permanent side of the deal is still fluid, and the final structure will decide how expensive this move becomes.

Badiashile's own usage at Chelsea makes the interest understandable. He has played 263 minutes across his last five Chelsea appearances, started only 3 of those matches and averaged 6.68 across that spell. He also featured only 16 times last season.

Napoli need a centre-back now, and Badiashile has become the name at the top of the list. The deal is not announced yet, and the remaining talks are over the option and the bonuses, not the loan itself.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →