Chelsea are reportedly ready to offload Emerson Palmieri on loan in January, with Napoli among the clubs interested in his services.
According to Area Napoli, Chelsea could be ready to part ways with Emerson Palmieri in the upcoming January transfer window, with Napoli keen on securing his services. The club’s sporting director Marina Granovskaia is believed to be ready to let the left-back leave Stamford Bridge.
Emerson himself is reportedly open on joining Napoli, although the player will be demanding hefty wages following his stint at Chelsea. The Serie A giants do have a good relationship with Roman Abramovich but are insisting on signing Emerson on loan with “an obligation of redemption”.
Napoli’s interest in the Chelsea star does make sense, though, as the Partenopei are in active search of a “high-level left-back”, who can provide some good competition for Elseid Hysaj this season.
After Faouzi Ghoulam was ostracised from the starting eleven, the Albanian international has primarily featured as left-back under Gennaro Gattuso this campaign. But, Mario Rui has not been able to provide him with a real challenge so the addition of someone like Emerson from Chelsea does make sense for the Italian outfit.
Speaking of Emerson, the Italian has endured a difficult time at Stamford Bridge since his move from AS Roma in 2018. He has struggled to convince with his performances in the Premier League and under current Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, the left-back has gone completely out of favour.
As a matter of fact, Emerson is yet to make a single appearance in the Premier League so far. He hasn’t been helped by the addition of Ben Chilwell in the Chelsea squad either, with the former Leicester City man already enjoying a good start to his life at Stamford Bridge.
Hence, a move away from west London does make sense for Emerson and Napoli, in that regard, could be an ideal destination. The 26-year-old already has some experience of playing in Serie A, having made almost 50 competitive appearances with AS Roma. He has also won nine caps for the Italian national team, which should come in handy if he looks to compete with Hysaj and Rui for a place in the starting lineup.
As far as Chelsea are concerned, Emerson’s potential departure from Stamford Bridge should create some space in the side, with the Blues now keen on adding defensive reinforcements in the January transfer window. Matthias Ginter, for one, has been reportedly identified as the next big target for Lampard and it remains to be seen how the winter shapes up for them.
