Chelsea hijack Inter’s move to land Atalanta star Marco Palestra in €55m deal as Xabi Alonso’s first signing | OneFootball

Chelsea have reached an agreement with Atalanta over the signing of defender Marco Palestra.

The West London side have moved quickly to tie up a verbal agreement with the Italian side, who had been in negotiations withInter Milan.

Palestra now looks set to become Xabi Alonso's first signing as Chelsea head coach, following a standout season inSerie A.

The 21-year-old thrived on loan at Cagliari, where he was named Serie A's Best Defender for the 2025/26 campaign and made his Italy debut in March.

Chelsea have agreed a package worth €55m (£47.3m) for the right-back, who scored once and provided four assists inSerie A last season. Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Atalanta will also retain a sell-on clause as part of the deal.

Chelsea's deal for Palestra could free Malo Gusto to leave Stamford Bridge this summer. The French full-back has attracted interest from Inter Milan and Manchester City, with the latter set to appoint ex-Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca as Pep Guardiola's successor.

Maresca is reportedly open to a reunion with Gusto at the Etihad, though Inter could step up their pursuit after seeing their move for Palestra hijacked.

Inter are in the market for a right-back after Real Madrid activated Denzel Dumfries' release clause.