Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Marco Palestra from Atalanta with it the first deal for Xabi Alonso
Chelsea have officially confirmed the signing of Marco Palestra
Chelsea have officially confirmed the signing of Marco Palestra(Image: (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images))
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Chelsea have announced the signing of Marco Palestra on a seven-year deal after forking out more than £43million to Atalanta for the defender.
The Blues kept a close eye on the 21-year-old throughout last season as he impressed on loan at Cagliari, with a potential transfer firmly on their radar. For much of the summer, however, Inter Milan appeared to be frontrunners in the race for the versatile defender.
Negotiations between Inter and Atalanta over a transfer fee were already under way when Chelsea moved to gazump their rivals by tabling a superior offer to the Serie A outfit. Agreeing personal terms with Palestra then proved straightforward, and the deal was wrapped up quickly.
Palestra becomes the first confirmed signing - aside from a handful of pre-agreements - of the Xabi Alonso era at Stamford Bridge. Speaking to the club's media, 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."
On departing Atalanta for Chelsea, Palestra shared on his Instagram: "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.
"Here I had the chance to follow my dreams, experiencing emotions I will never forget.
Marco Palestra looks on
Marco Palestra sent an emotional message to Atalanta after having his Chelsea transfer announced
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"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."
Emmanuel Emegha, Valentin Barco, Geovany Quenda and Dastan Satpayev are others set to join Palestra at the club as new additions.
More exits are also expected with Enzo Fernandez and Malo Gusto linked to Real Madrid and Manchester City, respectively. Marc Cucurella has already joined Jose Mourinho's side.
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