Chelsea star Emerson Palmieri is reportedly a subject of transfer interest from Italian champions Juventus with a £25 million move in the works.
As per a report from the Express, Juventus are set to rekindle their interest in Chelsea full-back Emerson Palmieri. The Serie A champions are understood to be plotting a £25 million move for the Brazil-born Italian international in the summer transfer window.
Emerson signed for Chelsea from AS Roma in January 2018 in a £17.6 million deal, but has struggled to carve out a regular place for himself in the starting lineup. For a brief period last season under Maurizio Sarri, the left-back had established himself as the first-choice, but has once again been relegated to the bench under Frank Lampard this time out.
Indeed, Lampard has opted to use Marcos Alonso and Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back more frequently this term, which has eaten into Emerson’s game time significantly. So far in the 2019-20 season, the 25-year-old has featured in just 18 matches across all competitions and has an assist to show for his efforts.
With reports claiming that Chelsea are eyeing a summer move for either Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell or FC Porto’s Alex Telles, there is a strong possibility that the West London giants will be open to offloading Emerson at the end of the season. And this development has piqued the interest of Juventus, with Sarri eyeing a reunion with his former ward in Turin.
Juventus had expressed serious interest in signing Emerson in the January transfer window itself as they sought to bring in an able deputy for first-choice left-back Alex Sandro. A move failed to materialize back then, however. But, that has not dissuaded the Bianconeri from planning another attempt to land the Italian international in the upcoming summer window.
The report from Express claims that Juventus are willing to offer as much as £25 million to sign Emerson from Chelsea. The defender’s current contract with Chelsea expires in the summer of 2022. With the 25-year-old clearly not a significant part of plans under Lampard, it makes sense that the Blues offload him in the summer window.
A return to Italy and a reunion with Sarri should to appeal to Emerson as well, as there is a likelihood of increased game time for him at Juventus. So, there seems to be a strong chance of this transfer going through in the summer.
