Overview
- Chelsea have completed the transfer of Marco Palestra from Atalanta for a reported fee of about £47m including add-ons, with the player signing a long-term contract.
- Palestra is a 21-year-old Atalanta academy graduate who made 37 Serie A appearances on loan at Cagliari last season and can play as a right wing-back or full-back.
- Multiple reports say Chelsea won a summer bidding battle for Palestra by offering roughly €10m more including add-ons than Inter’s package.
- The new signing has already joined Chelsea’s pre-season tour, has played in several friendlies and logged 65 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Juventus while praising the club’s organisation and the Premier League’s intensity.
- The move is part of Chelsea’s summer rebuild under Xabi Alonso and aims to prepare Palestra to compete for a first-team role when the Premier League campaign begins later this month.