Juventus and Chelsea interested in swap deal - Reports
As per Italian sports publication Calciomercato, European heavyweights Juventus and Chelsea might swap left-backs in the summer transfer window. If a deal is agreed upon between the two clubs, Chelsea's Emerson Palmieri will move to Juventus, with the Bianconeri's Alex Sandro going the other way.
Both full-backs have struggled for game time this season, albeit for different reasons. Alex Sandro has dealt with several injuries in the 2020-21 campaign, limiting his inclusion in the Juventus squad.
On the other hand, Emerson Palmieri started the season off by warming the bench under Frank Lampard, and new Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel doesn't consider the Italy international to be a part of his plans either.
However, the Juventus top brass has a strong interest in signing Emerson. The club is known to be shrewd in the transfer market, and a swap deal involving Alex Sandro will allow them to get Palmieri without necessarily spending money.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is an admirer of Sandro, which makes this potential deal a win-win for both sides.
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Juventus and Chelsea will be looking to improve their league form next season
Both Juventus and Chelsea have had underwhelming outings in their respective leagues this season. Juventus are 12 points behind league leaders Inter Milan, who look set to win the Scudetto, a trophy they last won in 2010.
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's talismanic performances, Andrea Pirlo's men have struggled to get going in a competition they dominated for almost a decade.
Chelsea are in a similar spot in the English Premier League, skirmishing with the likes of Liverpool and West Ham for a Champions League berth. Their squad depth and quality suggest that they should be in a much more comfortable position.
However, since Thomas Tuchel's induction, the Blues have found stability in the league and are in the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and Champions League.
Unlike Chelsea, Europe hasn't been kind to Juventus this season, as the team were knocked out by a resilient FC Porto side in the round of 16. The ownership brought Cristiano Ronaldo to the Old Lady of Turin to compete amongst Europe's elite, but the Portuguese's three UCL campaigns have ended on a rather inauspicious note.
Juventus still need to sign the right personnel in key areas, with their performances crying out for the need of a world-class midfielder. Rodrigo Bentancur, in particular, has been in poor form and could make way for a new signing in the summer.
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