Nottingham Forest and Atalanta are set for a battle to acquire Emerson Palmieri from Chelsea in this window.
According to the Evening Standard, Emerson Palmieri is a target for newly promoted Premier League side Nottingham Forest and Italian outfit Atalanta in this window. The left-back may not play regularly at Chelsea after the arrival of Marc Cucurella, making a move away possible.
Emerson Palmieri never managed to nail down a place as a regular in the first-team setup at Chelsea and is again staring an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge this summer. In the coming days, a resolution could be found, as the left-back has plenty of interest from notable clubs.
The defender spent the previous season on loan with Lyon and performed impressively. The French club could not manage to make a permanent move, as Emerson returned to Chelsea for pre-season training.
While Thomas Tuchel likes the Italian international, Chelsea may not have enough space to allow Emerson to play regularly. The arrival of Marc Cucurella completes the left-back position with Ben Chilwell the current first choice under the German manager. The Blues would consider a sale in the region of €15 million as the left-back has two years left on his deal.
A return to Italy has been widely discussed in the media, as there is interest from several high-profile Serie A sides. Lazio, managed by ex-Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, have been long-term admirers of the Italian. Now, Atalanta are reportedly keen on signing Emerson, having missed out on Arsenal’s Nuno Tavares, who joined Marseille on loan.
Atalanta need a new player there who would excel as a wing-back on the left side. Emerson certainly has the expertise and experience in such a role and could suit La Dea’s setup.
However, the Italian side have competition from Nottingham Forest, who have been on a spending spree in this window. The newly promoted Premier League side have significantly strengthened their squad, bringing in as many as twelve new players.
Among those are two left-backs in Harry Toffolo, 26, signed from Huddersfield and Omar Richards, 24, who arrived from Bayern Munich. Both these stars were acquired on permanent deals, so there are questions about why Nottingham Forest need another left-back.
The idea may be to make an opportunistic signing, as Emerson would add some much-needed experience to the team. For now, there may not be official proposals on the table for Emerson, but offers may begin to arrive as the transfer deadline approaches.
