Chelsea have announced the signing of Marco Palestra on a seven-year deal after forking out approximately £47 million ($62.4 million) (including add-ons) to Atalanta for the defender.
The Blues monitored the 21-year-old closely throughout last season during his loan stint at Cagliari and had been weighing up a move for the versatile defender. Inter Milan, however, held the upper hand for much of the summer in the race to secure Palestra’s signature.
Negotiations between Inter and Atalanta over a transfer fee for the Italy international were already underway when Chelsea made their move, tabling a larger offer to the Serie A team. Agreeing personal terms with Palestra proved straightforward, and the deal was wrapped up quickly, as per football.london.
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Palestra has become the first signing – bar a few pre-agreements – of the Xabi Alonso era at Stamford Bridge. Speaking to the club’s media team, the Italian said: “A lot of things convinced me to join Chelsea, one of the best clubs in the world.
“I’m very excited to get started. I’ve felt the energy since the first day Chelsea wanted me. I can’t wait to start, see all of the fans, my teammates and the manager.
“We have so many talented players here, a very strong squad and manager in Xabi. He has spoken to me about how he wants us to play, which is exciting, and we can’t wait to compete in the Premier League.”
Upon departing Atalanta for Chelsea, Palestra took to Instagram to express his feelings: “I came to Bergamo as a child. Atalanta was much more than a club: it’s where I grew up as a football player and as a person.
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“Here I had the chance to follow my dreams, experiencing emotions I will never forget. Thank you to the Percassi family, the managers, the coaches, the whole staff, my teammates and the fans for believing in me and being part of this extraordinary journey that started eleven years ago. Thank you.”
Palestra joins just shy of four months after making his debut for the Italy senior team under Gennaro Gattuso in a 2-0 win against Northern Ireland in the semi-final of the UEFA World Cup playoffs. He went on to play 74 minutes in the final as Italy were beaten by Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties.
