Serie A giants Atalanta are reportedly closing in on the capture of Chelsea outcast Davide Zappacosta on a permanent deal this summer.
According to Transfer Market Web, Atalanta are on the verge of securing a deal to sign Davide Zappacosta. It appears the Serie A giants have managed to hijack Fiorentina’s move for the Chelsea right-back, with the player soon set for a medical in Bergamo.
Zappacosta’s imminent move to Atalanta is set to put an end to a transfer merry go round that has seen the Italian move back to forth between Premier League and Serie A across various loan spells.
Indeed, the defender has already had to spend loan spells at AS Roma and Genoa since joining Chelsea in 2017, without making any real impact at Stamford Bridge. During his ongoing four year spell at the club, the right-back has only made 52 competitive appearances for the Blues.
As such, the Italian has been deemed surplus to the requirements by Thomas Tuchel, who has put his faith in Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta for yet another campaign.
Zappacosta himself may favour a permanent return to Italy, and most of all, Atalanta. The 29-year-old actually stems from the club’s youth academy and had made his Serie A breakthrough with La Dea during the 2014/15 campaign. He had made a total of 30 appearances for the club before joining Torino in 2015.
A return to Bergamo should definitely appease the right-back, who is set to serve as a replacement for the injured Hans Hateboer. He will have the opportunity to compete in the UEFA Champions League next season as well as getting the opportunity to play in front of the Atalanta supporters, who know him quite well.
A sale bodes well for Chelsea as well, knowing they have a stacked defensive unit. Although the potential value of the deal has not been revealed, Zappacosta’s move to Atalanta should give them a minor financial boost that could be a long way in helping them balance the financial structure, following the marquee arrival of Romelu Lukaku.
Not to mention, the Blues are still working out on a deal to secure the services of Jules Kounde on a permanent basis. The Sevilla centre-back is expected to cost a fortune, so it won’t be surprising to see Chelsea looking to offload a few more unwanted players including the likes of Ethan Ampadu and Ross Barkley this summer.
