Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing 20-year-old Italian full-back Marco Palestra from Serie A club Atalanta.
According to an update by Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Barcelona are keen on signing Marco Palestra. The European bigwigs are eager to reinforce their defensive units by signing a right-back next year. So, the 20-year-old Atalanta loanee has emerged as a target, with the Serie A outfit valuing him at around €30-35 million.
Who is Marco Palestra?
Marco Palestra has enjoyed his breakthrough in Serie A since joining Cagliari on a season-long loan deal from Atalanta this past summer. A native of Buccinasco, the youngster spent his formative years in Italy and graduated from the youth division at Atalanta.
While the 20-year-old full-back has made 16 appearances thus far for Atalanta, he has enjoyed more game time in 14 Serie A outings for Cagliari. Meanwhile, the Italian full-back prospect’s progress has not gone unnoticed, capturing the attention of several high-profile clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Barcelona.
A man in demand
Mikel Arteta has a stacked defensive unit at Arsenal, with Ben White and Jurrien Timber excelling as right-backs. However, the Arsenal manager has no natural right-backs in his squad, and adding Palestra for variety will be sensible. As for Chelsea, it is unclear how the youngster fits into the scheme of things at Stamford Bridge.
With Reece James and Malo Gusto being two of the best full-backs in the Premier League, the Blues do not need another right-back. Meanwhile, Manchester United’s interest in Marco Palestra makes sense. While Amad Diallo has been top-class in the right wing-back berth, Ruben Amorim can do with an alternative to the Ivory Coast international.
So, Palestra is a viable target for Manchester United. As for Barcelona, while Jules Kounde has been top-notch as a right-back, Hansi Flick wants an alternative to the French international, as he has deployed Eric Garcia in the role in Kounde’s absence. So, Palestra is an option worth considering for Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Atalanta will demand around €30-35 million to part ways with the 20-year-old Italian full-back next year. Apart from the four European bigwigs, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Napoli are also keen on signing Palestra, while the youngster recently discussed his links with Liverpool.
