Lyon are moving forward with plans to sign Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri this summer.
With Ben Chilwell and Marcos Alonso both fighting for minutes under Thomas Tuchel, Emerson has been on the fringes for a while now. The Italian did not see a single minute of Premier League action during Tuchel last season, with his only start coming in the first rounds of the FA Cup.
Emerson did well on the euro with Italy / Claudio Villa / Getty Images
Emerson has entered the last 12 months of his contract and Chelsea therefore want to make money now while they still can, and according to L’Equipe, Lyon are very keen to take advantage of the situation.
Lyon are preparing to sell Maxwel Cornet, with both Hertha Berlin and Burnley keen, and they have identified Emerson as an affordable replacement.
A minor problem with this is Lyon’s lack of means of transmission this summer. They could not meet Chelsea’s asking price right now, but it is suggested that they be open to a loan deal with an obligation to buy next summer.
It may require a one-year contract extension from Chelsea, but if that’s what it takes to sell Emerson, the Blues will probably agree.
A new one-year contract will also be awarded to striker Michy Batshuayi, who has landed in Turkey before signing a season-long loan to Besiktas.
As noted by The Athletic, there had been hope that this would be a permanent deal, but the two clubs could not agree on a transfer fee and have instead agreed to a simple loan decision – the fifth of Batshuayi’s Chelsea career.
Batshuayi will join Besiktas / Matthew Ashton – AMA / Getty Images
The Blues have also encouraged Danny Drinkwater, Ross Barkley and Tiemoue Bakayoko to find new clubs this summer.
Tammy Abraham is facing a £ 34m move to Roma, and young striker Ike Ugbo is likely to be the next man on his way out after agreeing on a permanent transfer to Belgian side Genk worth around £ 4m.
