In need of a left-back last summer, Lyon turned their attention to the Premier League, where Chelsea were ready to let Emerson Palmieri leave temporarily.
A loan move was organised with the Ligue 1 side, which was then regretted by the Blues when Ben Chilwell got injured for the rest of the season.
They tried to convince Lyon to let their player return to them in the January transfer window, to no avail, and while Palmieri hasn’t overly impressed with his performances, he could still end up staying permanently in France come the end of the season.
That’s according to L’Equipe, who explain that those in charge of such matters at Lyon are ‘getting busy to keep Emerson’, as the French club ‘have a first right to acquire’ the player, seemingly from the deal they struck with Chelsea last summer.
That being said, it’s made clear any deal ‘will be very complex to pull off’, although why isn’t explained.
Perhaps because Emerson doesn’t see his long-term future in France, or simply due to the fact that Chelsea might want him back to either use or sell elsewhere, as the Italy international has a contract keeping him to Stamford Bridge until 2024.
