Juventus have reportedly lined up Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri as a potential replacement for Alex Sandro this summer, according to Calcio Mercato.
The £70 million-rated Sandro was previously a target of Chelsea’s, but the Bianconeri rebuffed the Blues’ advances, rejecting multiple offers for the Brazilian full-back. After another impressive season in Turin, Sandro could well be on the move.
Having endured a difficult start to his Chelsea career, playing second fiddle to the buccaneering Marcos Alonso, Maurizio Sarri soon began to find more comfort in Emerson’s ability to couple both defensive discipline with an eye for goal.
The Italian’s more reliable performances towards the back end of the season saw him entrusted with playing a starring role in Chelsea’s victory in the Europa League final, where he helped assist Olivier Giroud’s opening goal.
Emerson has benefited greatly from an increase in his time on the pitch, creating strong combination play with his teammates both domestically and internationally. The 24-year-old once again displayed his recent resurgence in form as he picked up the man of the match award in Italy’s 3-0 victory over Greece last weekend.
Juventus have been long-time admirers of Emerson, having tried to sign him in the summer of 2017, only for a severe knee injury to rule him out for up to six months.
The Old Lady have now reignited their interest in the Chelsea full-back, and despite the latter’s potential transfer ban, they are confident of securing lucrative deals not just for the former Roma defender but also for Sarri himself, with the latter keen to take the Brazilian-born defender with him.
