Chelsea is now closing in on the capture of Marco Palestra from Atalanta.The 21-year-old right back was on loan at Cagliari last season, and he impressed with the Italian club with his regular performances. He scored once and picked up four assists in Serie A.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYChelsea have been eyeing Marco Palestra for a whileAccording to former Cagliari sporting director Guido Angelozzi, Chelsea have been tracking the talented young defender for quite some time and have made constant enquiries about the player over the past year.“Chelsea and Manchester City had been following him for a year. They were always at the stadium, at Cagliari and away from home,” he said to SportMediaset.“They kept calling me. They wanted to know everything. Obviously they already had all the data, but they were looking for information about the boy’s character and his qualities.”Palestra is highly rated across Europe, and he could prove to be a quality long-term investment for Chelsea. They have Reece James and Malo Gusto at their disposal, but Gusto has been linked with an exit this summer.The arrival of the Italian defender will certainly push the Frenchman down the pecking order. It seems that it could only be a matter of time before the defender leaves the club. He has been linked with Manchester City in recent weeks. He is expected to reunite with the former Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca.Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.More Stories / Latest News“They kept calling me”: Chelsea close in on £43m transfer after months of scoutingJun 27 2026, 7:00Sources: Arsenal interest “most concrete” but Liverpool & Man United also want £100m starJun 27 2026, 6:30Hector Bellerin – ‘Non-straight players leave football because it isn’t a safe space’Jun 26 2026, 22:58Palestra could be an asset for the BluesMeanwhile, Palestra will be hoping to establish himself as a key player for Chelsea in the coming seasons. It remains to be seen whether he can compete with and dislodge James from the starting lineup.Regular first-team football will be crucial to his development. The young defender will not want to sit on the bench at Chelsea. It remains to be seen whether they can provide him with the required opportunities and help him fulfil his potential.Reports suggest that Chelsea is paying around £43 million to complete the deal. It remains to be seen whether the 21-year-old can justify the investment in future.The post “They kept calling me”: Chelsea close in on £43m transfer after months of scouting appeared first on CaughtOffside.