Antonio Conte's Napoli have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Cesare Casadei from Chelsea. The 21-year-old has been linked with a move to Naples this month after struggling for game time at Stamford Bridge.

Having spent the first half of last season working with Enzo Maresca at Leicester, there was hope that Casedei could be handed more opportunities after reuniting with the Italian in the summer, but it hasn't been the case so far. In fact, Casadei has started just four times across all competitions this season. He has played six matches in total, with none of those coming in the Premier League.

It's raised speculation that Casadei could leave Chelsea in search of more minutes. Leicester are among the Premier League sides that have been linked with a move, while a number of clubs in Serie A want to recruit the former Inter Milan youngster - two-and-a-half years since leaving his homeland for England. However, Napoli are reportedly no longer one of them, despite expressing an interest earlier this month.

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According to Fabrizio Romano, Napoli are 'not willing to match Chelsea's conditions' for Casadei. Instead, Conte's side are closing in on a deal to sign Bournemouth midfielder Philip Billing. The Dane, 28, has started just one Premier League game this season and is searching for more game time.

As for Casadei, Torino remain interested in signing him. It's reported that the Turin-based club are preparing a new bid for the Chelsea ace, including an important sell-on clause. The Blues signed Casadei from Inter for an initial £12.7million and it's hoped they could recoup at least most of that back.

Speaking about his future in October, Casadei admitted he considered his short-term future last summer but after a conversation with new Chelsea boss Maresca he ended up staying. He said: "To be honest at the start of this season I was thinking about what was the best solution for me.

"I think last season was quite difficult, especially the last six months, because I didn’t play a lot. I was not really happy, because everyone wants game time. But from the moment I spoke to the manager I was 100% sure that the decision to stay was best for me to improve and for my career.

"I didn’t want to go permanently. There were some possible loans. But I have always wanted to play for Chelsea. We are one of the biggest teams in the world so I could not be more proud to play for Chelsea."