Italy defender has struggled to find regular first-team football since moving to Stamford Bridge from Roma in January 2018
Friday 3 July 2020 14:18, UK
Inter Milan have opened talks with Chelsea over a deal for Italy left-back Emerson Palmieri.
The 25-year-old has struggled to find regular first-team football since moving to Stamford Bridge from Roma in January 2018.
Emerson has made 19 appearances this season but has featured just once since last month's restart, which came in the FA Cup quarter-final win over Leicester.
The Brazil-born defender is set to return to Serie A, with Inter looking to strengthen on the left after securing the services of right-sided wing-back Achraf Hakimi from Real Madrid earlier in the week for around £36m.
Emerson's arrival at Chelsea came during current Inter boss Antonio Conte's time in charge of the west London club.
Chelsea are in the market for a left-back and Sky Sports News reported last month Leicester's Ben Chilwell is their No 1 target.
Head coach Frank Lampard, speaking in his press conference ahead of Chelsea's match against Watford on Saturday live on Sky Sports, said he was unaware of the Emerson talks as his focus remains on the current squad.
"I'm not aware of the talks," Lampard said. "What I am doing is focusing on the team and the squad day-to-day. I don't have any real conversations about the transfer window, whether it's who we might bring in or who might leave the club. Those are questions we do have to answer at the end of the season when the window opens.
"I don't want to be swayed by rumour and gossip, and I'm not involved in it, so we'll keep working."
Lampard also added summer arrivals Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech will link up with the squad later this month, but are waiting on the expected changes to the UK's travel quarantine rules amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"They haven't arrived," Lampard said. "The whole country is waiting on quarantine news. We're waiting to make sure the players can travel and be able to move around and work as we'll need them to.
"Timo has only just finished recently so he's having a well-deserved break and will come later in July, Ziyech will come earlier but we have to wait on the quarantine news."
