Chelsea ‘open contract talks’ with Emerson — report

Things have never been better for Emerson Palmieri at Chelsea, as he himself exclaimed yesterday, and it appears that the club agree with that assessment. According to Gazzetta dello Sport’s Nico Schira, Chelsea have begun talks with the left back over a new contract.

Emerson has almost three full years left on the 4.5-year contract he signed in January 2018, but Chelsea are apparently hoping to extend that by a couple more seasons, to 2024, while also bumping up the 25-year-old’s salary by about 25 per cent, to €5m per year (not including performance-related bonuses).

While all this may seem a bit premature, Emerson was (well, still is) probably on the lower end of the pay-scale at the club, and the extension would be more commensurate with his new status as the first-choice starter. Marcos Alonso is on a long-term deal as well, signed just a year ago, but Emerson’s emergence has limited the older player’s opportunities, and it would not be surprising to see him leave next summer.

Since getting stung by the contract situations of Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, and Callum Hudson-Odoi (has he signed yet??), Chelsea have made a concerted effort this summer to agree new long-term deals with several key players. Sounds like Emerson could be one of the next ones to sign on.