Napoli hope to have Benoit Badiashile for their Serie A opener next weekend, but Aurelio De Laurentiis needs to approve an extra Chelsea bonus, and the player is reportedly hesitating too.
Multiple sources in Italy, England and France reported on Thursday that the deal was done, for a loan at €3m plus €1m bonus, then an option to buy for a further €27m.
However, the defender still has not been given the all clear to travel to Italy for the medical tests.
Badiashile delay for Napoli
COBHAM, ENGLAND – JANUARY 27: Benoit Badiashile of Chelsea warms up during a training session at Chelsea Training Ground on January 27, 2026 in Cobham, England. (Photo by Jasper Wax/Getty Images)
There might be two reasons at play here, as Sky Sport Italia claim Napoli President De Laurentiis still needs to accept the terms of the €1m bonus payment, which was not part of the original agreement.
Indeed, the costs look considerably higher than the €18-20m proposal that had been made just a few days ago.
On top of that, L’Equipe suggest that Badiashile has not yet accepted the personal terms and is not entirely convinced about this transfer to Napoli.
The 25-year-old had been a big €38m investment when Chelsea bought him from AS Monaco in January 2023, but he made only 16 competitive appearances last season.