Emerson would now prefer to return to Chelsea from Lyon loan — report

Up to this point, the interest from Emerson to return to Chelsea to deputize for the injured Ben Chilwell was said to be just about as low as Lyon’s interest in letting him return to Chelsea, but according to the latest reports out of France, our loanee might be changing his tune.

As per RMC Sport, Emerson is “no longer insensitive” to our calls and would in fact prefer to return to Chelsea. The report does not provide any specific reason for Emerson’s change of heart, though it does add that the 27-year-old will comply with whatever Lyon decide. The struggling Ligue 1 heavyweights have made it pretty clear that they aren’t going to entertain our requests — despite a bit of financial compensation thrown in for our own player! — so the ultimate outcome of this situation may not change, but there may be enough of an opening for us to work with.

UPDATE: Though we may have to wait a few days as Emerson has confirmed he’s tested positive on Friday and has gone into isolation.

In the meantime, Chelsea have recalled Kenedy from Flamengo, but he’s seen basically as a last resort right now. We’ve also been linked with Layvin Kurzawa, among others, but no solution more favorable (in terms of price, familiarity, squad makeup) than Emerson has presented itself thus far.