Badiashile: ‘A great honour’ as defender joins Napoli from Chelsea

Badiashile: ‘A great honour’ as defender joins Napoli from Chelsea Benoit Badiashile has spoken for the first time since completing his move to Napoli, hailing the switch from Chelsea in a message to supporters on Instagram . Writing in Italian, the France centre-back said: “It is a great honour for me to become part of such a prestigious club, so rich in history. Ready to give everything for this shirt and for this city. Forza Napoli!” LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 30: Benoit Badiashile of Chelsea during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Chelsea FC and SL Benfica at Stamford Bridge on September 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) Benoit Badiashile joins Napoli on loan with €20m buy option According to reports , Napoli will pay €3m for the season-long loan, with an option to make the deal permanent for a further €20m. Other Italian outlets reported earlier in the week that the buy clause could reach €27m once add-ons and bonuses are included. View this post on Instagram The Frenchman is just Napoli’s second first-team arrival of the window after Costantino Favasuli from Catanzaro, with the club also exercising buy options on Rasmus Hojlund, Alisson Santos and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic this summer. Badiashile joined Chelsea from Monaco for €37m in January 2023 but made only 42 Premier League appearances across four seasons. Aurelio De Laurentiis announced the deal in customary fashion, posting “Benvenuto Benoît” on X .