**Chelsea and Newcastle have both sounded out the agent of Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini, according to journalist Luca Cerchione.**
Posting on his [X account](https://x.com/lucacerchione/status/2083171572399984847), Cerchione said that the Italian international’s representative, Ali Barat, has received “inquiries” from the two teams.
Scalvini is predominantly a centre-back, although he has played his fair share of minutes as a holding midfielder.
Manager Xabi Alonso is believed to be seeking further additions in both of those positions, despite the arrival of Maxence Lacroix and the imminent signing of Jordan Henderson.
What do Chelsea fans need to know about Scalvini?
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While he was technically a teammate of Chelsea summer signing Marco Palestra, the pair did not play many games together in Atalanta’s first team.
However, they are both very similar ages (Scalvini is 22 while Palestra is 21), and they came through Atalanta’s academy at the same time.
Unlike Palestra, though (who spent last season on loan at Cagliari), Scalvini established himself at Atalanta as a regular starter. He played 30 times last season, having racked up 137 senior appearances in total for La Dea.
Alonso wants only 5 centre-backs
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If Scalvini is a genuine target for Chelsea, it suggests that a significant number of defenders will be shipped out over the coming weeks.
Alonso has already stated that he wants only “four or five” centre-halves in the first-team squad. Excluding Scalvini, the Spaniard already has 9 at his disposal – Lacroix, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah and Josh Acheampong.
Chalobah could be sold to Como, while Napoli are [**hoping to secure the signature of Badiashile**](https://chelseanews.com/blog/chelsea-transfer-news-benoit-badiashile/). A buyer is likely to be found for Disasi too. If you class Hato and Acheampong as fullbacks, then the centre-back number would technically drop to 4 with sales, so Scalvini could be targeted as the 5th. We shall see if a formal bid is lodged. Cerchione reports that the Italian international’s asking price is €40m (£34m).