Chelsea star Cesare Casadei has been urged to leave Stamford Bridge in January after being left out in the cold.

The Italian midfielder has been in West London since 2022 following a €15million (£12.4m) switch from Inter Milan. But his first-team opportunities have been limited with the Blues.

Casadei, 21, has made just 13 appearances for the Blues. There was hope that he would have been handed more chances this season under his compatriot and former Leicester boss Enzo Maresca.

But that has not transpired with Casadei only taking to the pitch twice and not at all in the Premier League. And now Italy under-21 boss Carmine Nunziata believes a move away in the winter could benefit the youngster.

“Last year Cesare had a good first part with Leicester, then he went to Chelsea and played little,” Nunziata told Rai Radio 1 Sport. "This year they [Chelsea] kept him there, I advised him to see how it goes until January, otherwise it’s right to look around for another solution.

“The important thing is that the boys play. If they find a team in Italy, even better. But the experience abroad is also formative. For example, after playing in Switzerland, I found [Mattia] Zanotti to have improved a lot and grown a lot.”

Casadei has been sent out on loan twice during his Chelsea career so far. He joined Championship side Reading in 2023, making 15 appearances.

The midfielder returned to the Championship with promotion-winning Leicester last season to play under Maresca, but was recalled by the Blues midway through the season. Casadei has since explained the chance to play under his countryman again was one of the reasons why he decided to stay with Chelsea.

"Last season was not easy for me," he said. "At the start of this season I was thinking about what was the best solution for me, but the moment I spoke to the manager I was sure that the decision to stay was the best for me and for my career.

"I never had the idea to go permanently to another club. There were some possible loans, but I spoke to the manager, he told me what he thinks. I had no doubt. I always wanted to play for Chelsea.

"I could not be more proud to play for Chelsea. Everyone understood from the first day what his idea was, how he wanted to play. It was very easy for everyone to understand what he wants. I really like how he wants to play, the way he thinks and the way he sees football.

"He's a great manager because he's able to take the best out of every one of us. He's really demanding but that’s the way it should be. Everyone knows we are at Chelsea and there are high expectations."