Chelsea are on the cusp of making Atalanta defender Marco Palestra the first signing for new manager Xabi Alonso, with a fee in excess of £43m reportedly agreed. The 21-year-old Italy international had been expected to join Italian champions Inter Milan following a successful loan spell at Cagliari last season, where he was named Serie A's best defender.
However, after 24 hours of talks, Chelsea have emerged as Palestra's preferred destination, with sources in Italy claiming Inter could not match the Premier League club's offer on personal terms. Palestra, who made his international debut for Italy this year, is viewed at Stamford Bridge as an exciting option capable of playing on either flank, both as a wing-back and more conventional full-back.
New manager Alonso is set to formally join Chelsea on 1 July, having been appointed as manager rather than head coach in May. He has been in regular contact with the club hierarchy regarding incoming and outgoing transfers, with Chelsea also targeting at least one central defender and a midfielder, likely to be Strasbourg's Valentin Barco.
A number of players are also scheduled to move to west London this summer in deals completed last year, including £40m winger Geovany Quenda from Sporting and Strasbourg striker Emmanuel Emegha. There are expected to be further departures following Marc Cucurella's move to Real Madrid, as Chelsea look to trim their squad after a turbulent season in which they finished 10th in the Premier League and failed to qualify for Europe.