Exclusive: Euro giants in talks to sign Chelsea star that Enzo Maresca would prefer to keep

Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile is facing an uncertain future at the club as two major European teams show an interest in him ahead of the January transfer window.

Sources with a close understanding of Badiashile’s situation have informed CaughtOffside that Marseille have held initial talks over signing the France international, while he’s also on Juventus’ list of potential targets.

However, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is understood to rate Badiashile highly, and would like to keep faith in him, even if he’s yet to show his best form for the Blues.

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Badiashile looked like an outstanding young talent during his time at former club Monaco, but it hasn’t quite happened for him in the Premier League just yet.

Still, Maresca would rather keep Badiashile for a bit longer and give him more chances to develop, though the 23-year-old’s sale could be sanctioned by the club if they receive a good enough offer.

Will Benoit Badiashile leave Chelsea and return to France?

Even if Juve are also hovering in the background, it seems Marseille are showing the strongest interest in Badiashile at the moment.

The former Monaco man won’t necessarily get the move, but it’s easy to imagine that he might be tempted to return to Ligue 1 to try to revive his career after difficulties in English football.

Even if Badiashile is a quality player, it might be that the move to Chelsea came a bit too soon for him, and that he still needs a bit more time to develop his game in a more comfortable setting.

Chelsea fans probably wouldn’t be too fussed about selling Badiashile, as they’ll probably feel that there’s more than enough depth in that position anyway.

Maresca may rate Badiashile, but he also has Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo as options in central defence, so it’s an exit they could easily bounce back from.