Chelsea have entered into talks over a deal to sign Italian fullback Marco Palestra from Atalanta this summer, according to journalist Nicolo Schira.
The 20-year-old has established himself as one of the most exciting young fullbacks in Serie A and across European football following a remarkable breakthrough campaign last season.
Palestra’s rise began with a loan move to Cagliari, where what started as cover for Gabriel Zappa quickly turned into a starring role under manager Fabio Pisacane.
He went on to appear in 37 of Cagliari’s 38 league matches, playing a crucial role in securing their survival as the club finished nine points clear of the relegation zone.
His performances at club level were enough to earn a call-up to the Italy squad during the March international break under coach Gennaro Gattuso.
Palestra marked his international arrival with debut appearances in the World Cup play-off fixtures against both Northern Ireland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Schira reports that Chelsea have opened talks with Palestra’s entourage in recent weeks to discuss a potential transfer to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Atalanta hold significant leverage in any negotiations, with the player contracted to the Stadio di Bergamo until 2029, and the club valuing him at between £43m and £47m.
Inter Milan have a pre-agreement with Palestra, but according to Schira, the Italian champions’ offer currently falls short of Atalanta’s asking price, which could give Chelsea an advantage.
The statistics behind Palestra’s campaign underline why he has attracted such widespread interest from top clubs across the continent this transfer window.
His 7.24 duels won per game last season demonstrated his reliability in one-on-one situations, with an outstanding total of 248 duels won across the campaign.
That figure was 62 more than Joao Pedro, whose 186 duels won represented the highest total by any Chelsea player throughout last season.
Palestra’s technical qualities are equally striking, with an 85.1% pass completion rate and 70 successful dribbles highlighting his composure in possession and ability to progress the ball.
Those attributes are considered a strong fit for Xabi Alonso’s style of play as the new Chelsea head coach looks to shape his squad ahead of the upcoming season.
However, Schira also reports that Palestra prefers to remain in Italy amid the strong interest from Inter Milan, which complicates Chelsea’s pursuit of the highly-rated fullback.