Chelsea reach €45m agreement in principle with AS Monaco for defender Axel Disasi

Chelsea have reached an agreement in principle with AS Monaco for the signing of French centre-back Axel Disasi.

The Blues have suffered a big blow following with knee injury to Wesley Fofana that is likely to keep him out for the majority of the upcoming campaign. Fofana, who moved to Chelsea last summer from Leicester City for £70m, would have hoped to bounce back and make his mark after an injury-ravaged debut season at Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately, his long-term injury has forced Chelsea to dip into the transfer market for defensive reinforcements.

It now appears that the West London outfit are close to landing Axel Disasi with just two weeks to go before the 2023/24 Premier League season commences. Chelsea have reportedly agreed a deal with AS Monaco for Disasi worth in the region of €45million.

Disasi, 25, moved to AS Monaco from Reims in 2020 and has played 129 times across all formats for the Principality club, bagging 10 goals. He played every single league game for Monaco last season and chipped in with six-goal contributions. The 25-year-old was part of the France squad at the 2022 World Cup and made three appearances, helping Didier Deschamps’ side reach the final in Qatar.

Disasi had been linked with Manchester United and Newcastle United for much of the summer, but it looks like he is about to sign for Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea.

Chelsea sweep in for Axel Disasi out of nowhere

Chelsea sold Kalidou Koulibaly and Ethan Ampadu to Al Hilal and Leeds United, respectively, while releasing Cesar Azpilicueta earlier in the summer transfer window. A long-term injury to Wesley Fofana, coupled with the uncertain future of youngster Levi Colwill, has pushed the Blues to make a move for Axel Disasi.

Despite veteran Thiago Silva still on the books, adding a new central defender was seen as a priority by Mauricio Pochettino, and it seems as if Chelsea are on the cusp of landing one of their top transfer targets in Disasi. Since enjoying his breakthrough Ligue 1 campaign in 2019/20, Disasi has gone from strength to strength and developed into a reliable defender in France.

The 25-year-old made his debut for France in a 1–0 group-stage loss to Tunisia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He now has four Les Blues caps to his name and is a player whose stock is on the rise. Capable of playing at centre-back and right-back, Disasi would be a solid addition to the Chelsea squad and will provide Pochettino with a different dynamic in his defence for the new season. He could also replace Thiago Silva, who will turn 39 in September and cannot play forever.

With Disasi been heavily linked with Man United and Newcastle, Chelsea have done a good job by acting swiftly and agreeing a deal in principle with Monaco for him.