Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United eye move for €35-40m-rated wide player | OneFootball

Atalanta’s latest gift to the football world, Marco Palestra, has emerged as the primary target for Europe’s elite clubs heading into the winter transfer window.

The 20-year-old starlet, a product of the Bergamo youth academy currently excelling on loan at Cagliari, is proving to be much more than a standard right-back. Combining high tactical intelligence with physical dominance, he is taking the market by storm. Despite being in the early stages of his career, his mature performances on the pitch have already driven his market valuation to the €35-40 million bracket.

Marco Palestra is a player in demand

While the Italian quartet of Inter, Juventus, Milan, and Napoli are lying in wait to keep this homegrown talent in Serie A, interest from abroad is even more intense.

Sources close to the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Premier League giants Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United, alongside European heavyweights Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Bayern Munich, are scouting Palestra’s development every week.

The fact that Atalanta unhesitatingly rejected a €20 million bid from Liverpool last summer serves as concrete evidence of the high price tag the Italian club has set for their protege.

Palestra move could be difficult

Marco Palestra of Cagliari in action during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and AS Roma. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

Supported by a rock-solid financial foundation, Atalanta is in no rush to generate cash flow and feels no pressure to sell. This strategic patience grants them total leverage at the negotiating table. However, as the January window approaches, the focus is not just on straight cash deals; hybrid models are also being discussed by technical departments. To bridge the economic gap between the parties, creative solutions such as high-potential player swaps or sell-on clauses could be the key to unlocking this blockbuster deal.