Well, here’s a bolt out of the blue: Chelsea have agreed a deal with Atalanta for Marco Palestra! The Blues were barely linked to the young full back coming off his breakthrough season in the Serie A, but apparently we’ve hijacked Inter Milan’s move and have agreed a transfer package “in excess of €50m”.
So that’s a fair bit of cash for a 21-year-old with just one full season at the top level under his belt — not exactly a seasoned professional or proven winner at midtable Cagliari (on loan from Atalanta),
even if he did get named Serie A Defender of the Year and now has two Italy caps as well — but we’ve essentially just spent the Marc Cucurella money. In the BlueCo scheme of things, it’s almost a reasonable move, and it reportedly comes with the blessing of Xabi Alonso who was a “key part” of the deal.
Personal terms have not yet been agreed, but they are not expected to be a problem and the deal should be finalized shortly.
Palestra played primarily at right wing-back in Cagliari’s 3-5-2 setup, but he’s also capable on the opposite flank. So he should fit nicely into Alonso’s similar (expected) system — though we’ll have to wait and see how roles and minutes would be shared between him, Malo Gusto, and Reece James.
(Malo Gusto has been subject to a few rumors of late, including links to Manchester City, so perhaps that could be an angle to watch in the future as well.)
