Chelsea looking to reach compensation agreement with Lyon to recall Emerson Palmieri from loan as Thomas Tuchel seeks cover at left wing back with Ben Chilwell out for the rest of the season
- Chelsea are talking to Lyon about ending Emerson Palmieri’s season-long loan
- Blues boss Thomas Tuchel needs defenders but will not be signing Lucas Digne
- Full-backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James are out so Dujon Sterling could return
- Barcelona’s Sergino Dest and Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong could be options
Chelsea are in discussions with Lyon about recalling Emerson Palmieri from his season loan.
The European champions are looking to reach a compensation agreement with Lyon first as they are unable to recall Emerson due to a clause in their deal which allowed the French side an option to permanently sign the Italy international at the end of the season.
Cash-strapped Lyon were reluctant to take up the option at the end of the season but would need to find a quality replacement of their own and have been offered Layvin Kurzawa from Paris St Germain.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel (right) wants to recall Emerson Palmieri from his loan with Lyon
Palmieri was part of the Chelsea squad that won the Champions League in the 2020/21 season
If they can reach agreement on both fronts then Emerson should return to Stamford Bridge.
The 27-year-old joined Chelsea from Roma in 2018 and was an unused substitute in their 2021 Champions League final victory.
The Italy international joined Lyon a month after starting Italy’s triumphant Euro 2020 final against England at Wembley.
Following Ben Chilwell’s injury, manager Thomas Tuchel had considered Everton’s Lucas Digne but did not want to bloat his squad with another permanent signing.
Tuchel does not want to sign Everton and France defender Lucas Digne on a permanent basis
Digne is now closer to joining Aston Villa with West Ham believing a deal is too expensive for them. Newcastle remain in the wings if Villa fail to finalise terms on the £25million deal.
Tuchel is also looking for a right wing-back following the injury to Reece James and has the option of recalling Dujon Sterling from his loan at Blackpool by the end of this week.
However, they are continuing to consider other options with the likes of Sergino Dest at Barcelona and Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen among names discussed.
Chelsea begin a run of four games in 11 days when they travel to Spurs for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday.