Chelsea player ‘has already submitted request’ – ‘Wants a sale’, club very keen but won’t overpay

It appears that Emerson Palmieri, after years of transfer rumours sending him back to Italy, is finally taking matters into his own hands.

That’s according to Calciomercato, who report the defender has ‘already submitted a request to Chelsea’ that he ‘wants a sale’, meaning, in short, he’s submitted a transfer request.

It’s made clear the 2020 Euros champion wants a return to Serie A, where he initially made a name for himself at AS Roma, and Napoli are his preferred destination.

The move would see him reunite with Luciano Spalletti, but there is a big obstacle to overcome, which is that Aurelio De Laurentiis ‘doesn’t want to invest huge amounts in a role where he is potentially already covered’.

That’s because Faouzi Ghoulam and Mario Rui are still at the club, with neither looking likely to leave in the coming months.

So, with Napoli offering €10m for Palmieri and Chelsea requesting €20m, ‘the gap is far from being bridged’, meaning someone, somewhere, is going to have to make an effort.