Arch-rivals wanted to sign Chelsea outcast if key transfer fell through

Manchester United wanted Emerson Palmieri if Alex Telles deal failed

Speaking on the Here We Go podcast (h/t Metro), transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea outcast Emerson Palmieri had emerged as a late transfer target for Manchester United.

Emerson arrived at Chelsea from Italian outfit AS Roma in January 2018. However, he has struggled to carve out a regular starting berth for himself at Stamford Bridge.

Till date, the 26-year-old has featured just 55 times for Chelsea across all competitions, scoring one goal and setting up five more. (h/t Transfermarkt)

Emerson made just 21 appearances in the 2019/20 season and wasn’t part of the matchday squad for any of our Premier League games this season. (h/t Transfermarkt)

With Ben Chilwell joining from Leicester City, the Italian international’s first-team opportunities have taken a further hit. And, Chelsea had been looking to offload the Italian this summer.

There had been interest from Italy, with Inter Milan and Napoli keen on signing him. PSG, too, had entered the race for the left-back, and are considering making a move for him. (h/t Football.london)

Now, it is being claimed that Manchester United were also eyeing up a swoop for the Italian international if their move for Alex Telles failed to materialise. (h/t Metro)

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There was no official contact between the two clubs, but there was some interest from the Red Devils’ part as a Plan B. However, they did end up signing Telles on the transfer deadline day. (h/t Metro)

Emerson, meanwhile, remains at Stamford Bridge. It remains to be seen if he is able to secure an exit in the coming days with the transfer window in Portugal still open.