Emerson set for Chelsea medical after terms agreed — report

We finally have some actual movement on the transfer front, as Roma left back Emerson Palmieri is close to securing his move from the Italian capital to the English and joining Chelsea before Wednesday’s transfer deadline.

This deal seemed to have been agreed some time ago, but because it was tied to the Edin Dzeko deal initially, it was experiencing some severe delays alongside all that striker drama. But late last week, the deals were made separate and now Emerson is ready for his medical and, barring any unforeseen complications, ready to sign.

The initial £17.5m fee (and £5.2m add-on bonuses) match closely the previously rumored figures of €20m with €5-6m bonuses, with the backloading of the agreement probably stemming from Emerson’s recent ACL injury. The 23-year-old had just returned to competitive action before the winter break and making part of his transfer fee contingent on performance or appearance-based bonuses makes perfect sense (assuming that’s what the bonuses are about). There is no word yet on wages, but previous numbers were in the low £40-50k per week range.

All-in-all, this looks like another potentially smart transfer along the lines of Alonso, or perhaps even Azpilicueta. Emerson had plenty of admirers before this season, including Juventus who had identified as a potential successor to Alex Sandro.

As per Johnson’s tweet, the medical could take place tomorrow. With a little over two days to go in the January transfer window, that’s a pretty safe bet!