Chelsea news: Blues closing in on landing Roma defender Emerson Palmieri in £20m deal
Boss Antonio Conte wants another left-back to ease the pressure on Marcos Alonso until the end of the season
CHELSEA are closing in on a deal for £20 million Roma defender Emerson Palmieri.
And talks are well underway to secure a 'dream' move for the Brazil-born left back, according to the player's agent.
Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte wants extra strength in depth to help Marcos Alonso as the fixtures pile up in the second half of the season.
And Palmieri would not be cup tied for the Champions League as he has made just one 15 minute sub appearance in Serie A and a whole game in the Italian Cup this season.
Palmieri, 23, is also an Italian citizen which means he does not need a work permit to play in the UK which is helping with talks.
His agent Fernando Garcia said: "Of course yes, absolutely, the two clubs are now talking, we’ll see if it will be successful.
"There’s still nothing certain, we are in a stage of discussion and evaluations.
"It would be a dream: Conte is a top manager, one of the best and most successful in the world.”
Conte has signed £15 million midfielder Ross Barkley during this transfer window and is also keen on a striker to provide competition for first choice Alvaro Morata.
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He has been linked with a move for West Ham's Andy Carroll but in a fresh twist today with a daring attempt to land Roma's Edin Dzeko - the former Manchester City striker who scored twice against Chelsea in the Champions League group stage before Christmas.
Roma are trying to resist any deal to bring Dzeko back to the Premier League where he played around 100 games for Manchester City between 2011 and 2015.