Once a backup to Marcos Alonso, Emerson Palmieri supplanted the Spaniard last year under Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea, and continued to do so after Frank Lampard took over in the summer.
Starting most of the early games this season, the left-back continued to force his competition to the bench, but a hamstring injury has pushed him to one side, allowing the 31-year-old to thrive in his absence.
That being said, the Premier League club don’t want Emerson to go anywhere, as explained by Corriere dello Sport on Wednesday.
The Italian newspaper state Juventus are (as always) looking at the Italy international to help provide backup to Alex Sandro and allow the Brazilian to be rested from time to time, but Chelsea are standing in their way.
Sarri likes the player, appreciating his qualities, and has ‘reaffirmed’ all this in the past few weeks, with the defender potentially becoming the ‘big January objective’ for the Serie A champions.
However, the Blues allegedly want to offer the 25-year-old a new contract that would see him tied down until 2025, with his current deal expiring in 2022.
Will that be enough to put off Juventus and keep him there? That’s the question Corriere dello Sport ask and one we’ll have to be patient about getting an answer for.
