Multiple talks are being held between Chelsea and Juventus. There was a Pjanic – Jorginho swap deal being considered, a free transfer for veteran Pedro to Juventus, and now the Bianocneri are looking at Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri.
Emerson has not been in consistent form this season, with Frank Lampard preferring Spaniard Ceasar Azpilicueta over him at times and the Italian has not played a game for the club since January.
Juventus currently have Brazilian Alex Sandro as their first choice at left-back but do not have a reliable secondary option as back-up. Mattia De Sciglio & Danilo both are not natural left-backs and do not have much experience playing on that part of the pitch. The Bianconeri are now offering Chelsea a straight swap deal involving De Sciglio and Emerson. De Sciglio is looking to leave the club after not getting into Sarri’s team and PSG are also involved in transfer talks with him.
But Chelsea do not seem to be interested in De Sciglio and are asking for Alex Sandro instead. The Blues have been after the Brazilian for a couple of years since the Antonio Conte era in a long, drawn out chase. Sandro is now 29, but still will be an upgrade to the faltering duo of Emerson and Alonso.
While Emerson publicly expressed his desire to stay and fight for a place at the club, he has made only 18 appearances for Chelsea this season. After suffering an injury back in September, Emerson has just not been the same. He has lost his confidence and his form and simply has not been able to put in the shift that Lampard demands.
Chelsea value Emerson to be around €40m, but Juventus will not be willing to pay more than €25m-€30m for the Italian.
The Blues will now carry on discussions only if Juventus agree to let go of Sandro after turning down the De Sciglio offer. Chelsea are also after a host of different left-backs like Ben Chillwell and Alex Telles and Emerson looks sure to leave the club this window. Ben Chilwell will prove to be too costly after Leicester’s high valuation of the player and Ajax’s Tagliafico is also an alternate option. But Alex Sandro is probably the most experienced out of the lot and better suited to Chelsea’s play-style than the others.
Only once the present season finishes and the transfer window opens will more details emerge about any deals. A swap deal involving Emerson plus some cash for Alex Sandro is probably the best scenario for Chelsea, who are desperate for an experienced and reliable full-back.
