Chelsea‘s out-of-favour defender Emerson Palmieri has submitted a request to depart Stamford Bridge this summer’s transfer window, according to the latest reports.
The Italian has been strongly linked with a transfer away from the club, with a summer return to Serie A likely.
As per an Italian media outlet Calcio Mercato via Sport Witness, the Italo-Brazilian has ‘already submitted a request’ to the English giants to tell the board that he ‘wants a sale’.
In other words, Palmieri has submitted a transfer request as the player looks to force a transfer away from London this summer.
The Partenopei are currently leading the hunt for the 26-year-old full-back in a move that would see the player reunited with his former coach Luciano Spalletti.
The Italian manager has previously hinted at a move for the former Roma ace, saying: “I can’t say if I called Emerson to join Napoli or not… maybe yes, maybe it’s happened.”
However, Calcio Mercato add that the deal may not be easy as the Serie A outfit aren’t willing to spend big on a role that is already covered.
The Italians have Mario Rui and Faouzi Ghoulam as left-sided options and neither are looking likely to depart.
Also, the current gap is far from being bridged in terms of agreeing on a fee for the defender. Napoli are only ready to offer €10 million for the star whilst Chelsea are requesting €20 million.
It was previously claimed that Napoli would be prepared to take Emerson on loan with an obligation to buy, however the west Londoners are seeking a permanent deal this summer.
With interest from multiple other clubs in Italy, Palmieri is likely to depart from the Premier League side this summer even if Napoli is not his destination.
In other news, Chelsea, AC Milan, Barcelona, Roma and Bayer Leverkusen are both interested in landing Villarreal full-back Alfonso Pedraza, according to a recent report.
He has made his name as one of the Yellow Submarine’s most consistent performers as last campaign he made 44 appearances, amassing two goals and four assists having converted from being a wide attacker.
Under Unai Emery, the Spaniard found enormous consistency in his showings that had been lacking for a while, and Alfonso has characteristics that make him a highly in-demand profile on the market.
