LEICESTER THIS TIME HOPE TO COMPLETE THE DEAL FOR £22M ACE

Cesare Casadei’s loan tenure at Leicester City was cut short by Premier League giants Chelsea, but the Championship leaders are reportedly close to signing Stefano Sensi from Inter Milan to replace him.

HITC Football understands that, despite a solid start to the season at the King Power Stadium, Chelsea notified Leicester early this week that Cesare Casadei would be returning to West London.

The Foxes confirmed that decision on Friday, with the 3-1 defeat at Coventry City being Casadei’s final appearance in Leicester colours.

However, a replacement should not take long to arrive. HITC has been informed that Leicester are trying to conclude the signing of Stefano Sensi from Inter Milan, one Italian arriving to replace another under the club’s Salerno-born head coach Enzo Maresca.

Leicester City closes in on Stefano Sensi.

Sensi, at 28 years old, would bring significantly more experience to the Leicester dressing room than the teenager Casadei.

Despite being a nine-time Italy cap, the dynamic central midfielder joined Inter under Antonio Conte in 2019, but has struggled for playing time at the Serie A leaders.

Sensi has made only three appearances in Serie A this season. He also spent 2022/23 on loan at Monza. Still, this would be a huge coup for any second-tier club, especially one that is almost guaranteed to return to the Premier League sooner rather than later.

“We are talking about someone who sees football and implements everything that I tell him,” Conte once told Sky Sport Italia of Sensi, a member of the Nerazzurri’s Scudetto-winning side in 2021.

“He stepped up and was extraordinary.”

Inter spent approximately £22 million to bring Sensi to the San Siro. He is now set to go for a far cheaper fee, with Italian media claiming that £1.7 million could be sufficient to send the small, highly technical footballer to Leicestershire.

Enzo Maresca expresses admiration for Inter ace

“I like Stefano, but he’s not our player,” Maresca told the Leicester Mercury this week. “He’s Inter’s player. So it’s not worth talking about him right now.

“He’s a good player who can play multiple positions. But he isn’t our player.”

That, however, may alter in the coming days.

Chelsea, however, is yet to decide where Casadei will play football for the rest of the season.

London has recalled Andrey Santos from Nottingham Forest after losing Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu to injuries.