Chelsea in advanced talks with Lyon over Emerson sale
By Tom Gott
Lyon are pushing ahead with plans to sign Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri this summer.
With Ben Chilwell and Marcos Alonso both battling for minutes under Thomas Tuchel, Emerson has been out on the fringes for a while now. The Italian did not see a single minute of Premier League action under Tuchel last season, with his only starts coming in the early rounds of the FA Cup.
Emerson has entered the final 12 months of his deal and Chelsea are therefore looking to cash in 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 issue with this one is Lyon's lack of transfer funds this summer. They would be unable to meet Chelsea's asking price right now, but it is suggested that they would be open to a loan deal with an obligation to buy next summer.
It may require a one-year contract extension from Chelsea's side, but if that's what it takes to sell Emerson, the Blues will likely agree.
A new one-year deal is also set to be handed out to striker Michy Batshuayi, who has landed in Turkey ahead of sealing 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 move - the fifth of Batshuayi's Chelsea career.
The Blues have also encouraged Danny Drinkwater, Ross Barkley and Tiemoue Bakayoko to find themselves new clubs this summer.
Tammy Abraham is on the cusp of a £34m move to Roma, and young striker Ike Ugbo is likely to be the next man on his way out after agreeing a permanent switch to Belgian side Genk worth around £4m.