For around a week the Italian press have treated Emerson Palmieri to Chelsea as a sure thing.
Once the Edin Dzeko rumours got in full swing, Emerson was largely ignored and seen as something which was already sorted out, but when the two players got tangled up in a double deal there was some doubt attached.
Gazzetta dello Sport say that doubt has now gone and in their Saturday edition state ‘Emerson Palmieri is in fact a Chelsea player’.
It’s explained the Emerson deal was rearranged on Thursday evening and completely separated from any Dzeko to Chelsea transfer. The completion and ‘white smoke’ could come today and the announcement is described as likely for Monday.
Roma and Emerson are said to be very keen on the deal and it’s not thought anything could wrong from here on in. That said, most had expected Emerson would have posed in the Chelsea shirt by now and everything be made official, but obviously that didn’t happen.
The Italian club are very happy with their €20m plus a further €5m in bonuses, and the way Gazzetta describe things, it would be assumed the only way a transfer fails is Chelsea pulling out.
