It really does feel like immediately after signing for Chelsea, Emerson Palmieri was already getting linked with a return to Italy.
The left-back, who has fought for a Stamford Bridge starting spot with Marcos Alonso throughout his time with the club, has never managed to secure a recurring first-team role under either Maurizio Sarri or Frank Lampard.
A move away has never materialised either, but there’s a feeling in Italy this summer could be the one, mostly because of his contract situation, which isn’t desperate, but isn’t ideal either.
Gazzetta dello Sport explain that despite being tied down to the London side until 2022, Emerson is ‘struggling to renew’ his contract with Chelsea, suggesting they’re either not offering him what he wants or he simply wants to keep his options open.
As for interested parties, it’s made very clear that Sarri’s Juventus are ‘very active’ on his case, although they will ‘have to contend with’ their ‘forever rivals’ Inter, with Antonio Conte keen to bolster the left hand side of his defence.
With prices on the market dropping due to the Covid-19 crisis, as clubs’ purses are a bit tighter, this might be the ideal time for the Serie A champions to strike a deal with Chelsea, who might not want to keep a player unwilling to renew around, having already played that game with Olivier Giroud.
