Chelsea struggling to recall Emerson Palmieri from Olympique Lyon

Chelsea has seen a couple of attempts fail in a bid to recall Emerson Palmieri from Olympique Lyon; this request though had a £4m attached to it. No other alternatives have been named as of yet as we approach the closing days of the January transfer window.

Since the opening of the transfer window and since suffering major setbacks in the fullback department, Chelsea have been on the hunt for either a new player or to recall Emerson Palmieri from his loan at Olympique Lyon.

However, Chelsea have shown a lot of reluctancy to sign any new players in the transfer window. This is understandable, as a new issue would arise in the summer when they have players returning from loan deals and injuries — having them sit with too many fullback options — a remedy for disaster and an unhappy camp.

Chelsea’s first fail for Emerson Palmieri

The first try came back on the 30th of December, just before the stroke of the New Year. Lyon were and are not prepared to lose a player that has played a key role for Peter Bosz as they lay eighth in the Ligue 1 standings and top Group A in the Europa League, without sustaining a loss.

It was always going to be an uphill battle for the Blues to try and get their Italian back from the Frenchman — there was never a recall clause inserted in his deal when the player left the Bridge last summer.

"The Blues have been keen to bring in a wing-back amid problems with both injury and Covid in their squadChelsea’s primary focus in the January transfer window has been to replace Ben Chilwell, who has had to have surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament and is out for the season.Thomas Tuchel quickly decided that recalling Emerson Palmieri from his loan spell at Lyon was his best solution to fixing the problem.However, due to Lyon’s agreement having no recall clause, Chelsea have had to negotiate to effectively re-sign him – and have been knocked back following protracted talks. (Via: goal.com)"

The second and most recent try reportedly saw the London club offer a sum of £4m for them to try and “resign” their on-loan player. However, Lyon is clear and it appears Chelsea’s continued attempts to recall him will fall on deaf ears — this also despite reports suggesting the player himself wants to return to Stamford Bridge.

Other potential options for Chelsea?

After missing out on Lucas Digne who joined Aston Villa, it has really only been talks of a return for Emerson Palmieri. However, Goal.com does report that PSG have offered them Layvin Kurzaw, who Thomas Tuchel doesn’t exactly sound too keen on.

Goal.com goes on and states Barcelona’s Sergino Dest could be their best option to look at with clubs looking to spend little as possible during January. At the end of the day, Tuchel is in desperate need of cover in the fullback area, so a transfer looks very likely.

Who do you think Chelsea should sign to solve their defensive issues?