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Chelsea Sign Atalanta Right-Back Marco Palestra for £47m After Inter Milan Deal Collapses
The 21-year-old defender agreed to a six-year contract with an option for a further year. He becomes the first player to arrive since Xabi Alonso took over as manager.
FA
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Chelsea have completed the signing of Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra for a fee of about £47m, including add-ons. The 21-year-old has signed a six-year deal with the option of a further year and becomes the first arrival since Xabi Alonso's appointment as manager. Palestra had been the subject of an agreement to rejoin childhood club Inter Milan for £43m.
Chelsea moved quickly to surpass that offer and, according to sources in Italy, provided a more substantial wage package. "A lot of things convinced me to join Chelsea, one of the best clubs in the world," Palestra said. "We have so many talented players here, a very strong squad and manager in Xabi.
Palestra spent last season on loan at Cagliari, where he was named Serie A's defender of the year. He made his senior Atalanta debut in the Europa League in December 2023 and progressed from Italy's third tier with Atalanta's under-23 side to Chelsea in three years.
At Cagliari he attempted 73 dribbles over distances of more than 5m, the most by any defender in Serie A, and recorded 70 successful dribbles, the highest of any defender across Europe's top 10 leagues.
Chelsea are now prioritising a move for Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix, with a deal for Rayo Vallecano full-back Pep Chavarria also in discussion. Sunderland rejected an £8m bid from Chelsea for captain Granit Xhaka. Agreed deals are in place for striker Emmanuel Emegha to join from Strasbourg and winger Geovany Quenda to arrive from Sporting, while Strasbourg midfielder Valentin Barco is expected to complete a move.
The club finished 10th in the Premier League last season and failed to qualify for Europe. Midfielder Enzo Fernandez is keen to leave and is attracting interest from Real Madrid, while Serie A side Como have held talks over a move for Trevoh Chalobah. Chelsea watched Palestra for more than a year before securing the deal despite interest from Inter Milan, Juventus, Napoli and Roma.
