CHELSEA’s desperate attempt to recall Emerson Palmieri from his loan spell with Lyon has reportedly been blocked by the French club. The Blues are in dire need of defensive cover following full-back Ben Chilwell’s ACL injury that’s ruled him out for the rest of the season. To make matter worse for Thomas Tuchel’s side, Chilwell’s […]
CHELSEA’s desperate attempt to recall Emerson Palmieri from his loan spell with Lyon has reportedly been blocked by the French club.
The Blues are in dire need of defensive cover following full-back Ben Chilwell’s ACL injury that’s ruled him out for the rest of the season.
To make matter worse for Thomas Tuchel’s side, Chilwell’s fellow wing-back Reece James went off injured during the Blues’ 1-1 draw with Brighton.
The England star was seen hobbling down the tunnel on crutches with the Blues not certain how long he’ll need to recover.
Tuchel touched on his side’s defensive plight after the Brighton match by saying: “We have no more wingbacks. Everyone is injured.”
With his main full-back’s sidelined for the foreseeable future, Tuchel was hoping to cut Emerson’s season-long loan spell with Lyon short to plug the gaps in his defence.
However, the Ligue 1 side aren’t willing to let Emerson, who’s played 19 games for them this season, leave before his loan transfer ends according to Get France Football News.
Although the Italian is still a Chelsea player, the West Londoners do not have a formal recall clause inserted into the loan deal with Lyon, GFFN claim.
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS
GFFN add that the Champions League winners will now turn their attentions to Everton defender Lucas Digne with the hope of recruiting him in the January transfer window.
The Blues’ pursuit of Digne may be successful as the French ace has fallen out of favour with boss Rafa Benitez at Goodison Park.
However, Chelsea will have to fend off competition from Premier League rivals Newcastle who also have their eyes on the 28-year-old.
But if Digne opts to join Eddie Howe’s Toon revolution – backed by the club’s mega-rich Saudi owners, Tuchel has drawn up a shortlist of alternatives to fill his defensive void.
Barcelona youngster Sergino Dest is said to be an option, along with Ajax veteran Nicolas Tagliafico.
The Blues are also considering recalling Ian Maatsen from his loan deal with Coventry as a last resort.
