Who is Marco Palestra? Chelsea to seal first Xabi Alonso signing after transfer hijack | OneFootball

Blues have swooped to land Italy international under the noses of Inter Milan

Standard Sport understands the first signing of the Xabi Alonso era could be completed on Wednesday, with the fee reported to be around £43million.

Personal terms are not expected to be an issue, with Palestra poised to pen a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea moved quickly to secure the transfer, moving ahead of Inter Milan in the past 24 hours to win the race for the Atalanta right-back, who has been on loan at Serie A rivals Cagliari.

Who is Marco Palestra?

Palestra came up through Atalanta’s academy system and made his first-team debut in August 2024, but featured only eight more times for the Bergamo-based side that season.

He was loaned out to fellow Serie A club Cagliari, where he made 37 appearances, scoring once and assisting four goals.

Operating primarily as a right-back, he also has the ability to push forward as a wing-back or switch to the left, thanks to his two-footedness.

Versatile: Marco Palestra will give Chelsea added flexibility in the full-back areas under Xabi Alonso

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His performances were so impressive during the 2025/26 campaign that he was voted in Serie A’s Team of the Season and also named as the division’s top defender.

He also earned his first senior caps for Italy during the March international break.

All of this is why reigning Serie A champions Inter were so interested in Palestra before Chelsea swooped in under their noses to complete this transfer at rapid speed.

Palestra is a native of Milan and actually spent one season in Inter’s academy during the 2013/14 season, before making the move to Atalanta.

The full-back stands at 6ft 1in and has real pace going forward. With an average top speed of 27.96km/h, he was the fastest player in Serie A last season.

Beginning his youth career in midfield, Palestra is also an astute technician. He completed the most dribbles (68) of any defender in Europe’s top five leagues in 2025/26.

He will compete for a place in Chelsea’s backline with Malo Gusto, who featured in 34 league games last season but is now being linked with a reunion with former Blues boss Enzo Maresca at Manchester City.

Gusto is currently at the World Cup with France, but Palestra is not after Italy missed out on qualification once again.

One of his first appearances for his country was as a substitute in the heartbreaking UEFA play-off final loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Instead, Palestra will look to impress incoming boss Alonso straight away.