Chelsea face three rivals in race for €35m replacement for defensive duo

Chelsea face a battle to land Robin Gosens from Atalanta as their next left-back if Emerson Palmieri or Marcos Alonso leave this summer, a report claims.

Emerson has just about overtaken Alonso in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, although both continue to be linked with moves back to Italy – where the former once played for Palermo and Roma before becoming an Italian citizen, and the latter previously represented Fiorentina.

If one or both depart, then Chelsea will need to sign a replacement, and reports earlier this year suggested that they also had their focus turned towards Serie A, with Robin Gosens identified as a top target.

The Blues have been to scout the former Heracles player, who was snapped up for a bargain fee less than €1m by Atalanta in 2017.

Gosens has been one of the key players for Atalanta this season as Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have consolidated their position as top four contenders, and Germany boss Joachim Low has recently confirmed that the 25-year-old had been about to make his international debut.

According to Calciomercato, Gosens’ recent contract extension until 2024 has done little to quash the rumours that he could leave for a bigger club, with Juventus, Inter Milan and Lyon all linked.

The latter even made a €25m bid in January, but that fell short of Atalanta’s valuation, with the Serie A side demanding somewhere in the region of €35-40m – around double the price that was suggested as recently as three months ago.

The lowest they would be willing to let Gosens leave for is €30m, although Chelsea would have some work to do to convince them to let go of their asset.

Not only will Chelsea have to haggle over the price, they will also have to beat the likes of Juventus and Inter to the player – although it should be noted that those two are also the clubs most heavily linked with Emerson and Alonso.

If either of the Italian sides were able to take one of the Chelsea left-backs, they would presumably have no additional need for Gosens, making it easier for the Blues to acquire their target.