London club pull out of the race to sign UEFA Euros-winning Chelsea star

West Ham pull out of the race to sign Chelsea star Emerson Palmieri

According to the Guardian, West Ham United have pulled out of the move to sign out-of-favour Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri due to the player’s wage demands being way off of what the Hammers offered.

The Hammers did conduct advanced negotiations with Chelsea to sign the 28-year-old, who is not in manager Thomas Tuchel’s plans for the season. But the wage demands of the Italian international put the East London club off and they will now be looking at other targets to bulk up that left-back position.

Chelsea signed Emerson from Italian side AS Roma in the January window of 2018, for a fee around £17.6m plus £7m in add-ons. Antonio Conte, who is the current Tottenham Hotspur boss, was the manager of the Blues when this signing took place.

The defender, who can play both as a left-back and left wing-back, spent the last season on loan at French side Lyon after a series of campaigns with a backup role. He made 36 appearances in all competitions for Lyon, scoring once and assisting two goals.

With Chelsea already signing Marc Cucurella as a backup to Ben Chilwell in that left-back/left wing-back position, there doesn’t seem to be any way in for Emerson in this team. So, the sensible decision for him would be to become flexible with his wage demands and find a permanent move to any club.

Although West Ham are going to pursue other targets, they might come back and give this Emerson deal another go. Chelsea have already allowed the player to be in advanced negotiations with clubs so that they can have him out of their books.

It is clear from the current scenario as to what the best would be best for all parties involved regarding Chelsea. For the 28-year-old, he would be wise to be looking to play more minutes elsewhere rather than being a fringe player at Stamford Bridge.

For the Blues, it’s an opportunity to get a player off the wage books and potentially get in some cash that can be used to buy other targets. Marcos Alonso’s potential exit to Barcelona, in this regard, would have meant Emerson probably being bumped up the pecking order.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea know they have beaten Manchester United in pursuit of Frenkie de Jong
• Chelsea star Marc Cucurella gives his verdict on snubbing Manchester City
• Newcastle United are interested in negotiating for four Chelsea stars this summer

However, Cucurella’s arrival means the 2020 UEFA Euros winner is back to square one at SW6.