Chelsea completes £47m Palestra deal
Chelsea has completed a £47m deal to sign Italy international Marco Palestra from Atalanta.
The 21 year-old right-back has penned a six-year contract with the Blues, who are preparing for their first campaign with Xabi Alonso in the dugout.
Palestra only made nine Serie A appearances for Atalanta, spending the 2025-2026 season on loan at Cagliari as they finished 14th in the Italian top flight.
He made 37 league appearances during that loan spell, scoring one goal and assisting four while contributing to five clean sheets.
Palestra's arrival comes amid speculation that Malo Gusto could be on the move, having been linked with Manchester City. Chelsea is also seeking a new left-back after allowing Marc Cucurella to join Real Madrid in a £51.5m (€60m) deal.
Palestra, who won his first two caps for Italy in March as they failed to progress through the World Cup qualification play-offs, says Alonso's influence was key.
"It was very important," Palestra told Chelsea's website when asked about Alonso. "I feel a lot of energy from him.
"Also, he is one of the best managers in the world – he won at Bayer Leverkusen. It's important for me to have Xabi Alonso as the manager.
"I have had two conversations with him and I'm very happy because he told me what he wanted from me. I'm very happy to know him and to start training with Chelsea."
Chelsea has also reportedly had an offer for Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka rejected, though midfielder Enzo Fernandez is keen on an exit after being linked with Madrid.
The Blues have sold Marc Cucurella to Madrid, while Tyrique George is supposedly closing in on a permanent move to Everton.
