Chelsea Transfer News: Emerson Palmieri Bid Confirmed, Andy Carroll Injury

The agent of AS Roma left-back Emerson Palmieri has confirmed Chelsea have made a bid to sign the player, whom he said would "love" to work with Blues manager Antonio Conte. Elsewhere, Chelsea's move for Andy Carroll looks to be off after the striker suffered an injury.

Chelsea have been linked with several left wing-backs to provide Marcos Alonso with competition for the role, and Emerson's agent, Fernando Garcia, told Daniele Longo of Italian website Calciomercato.com:

"Emerson's Chelsea move is not a done deal yet, we are in talks with the club. 

"The two clubs are in talks and we hope to finalize the deal soon. A transfer is very likely at this stage.

"I have not planned a trip to Italy anytime soon, we are waiting for news. Emerson would love to play in the Premier League and would love to work with Conte, he is a top manager, one of the best in the World."

Garcia's comment that a winter transfer is "very likely" stands out from the rest, while Emerson's apparent desire to work with former Juventus chief and three-time Serie A-winning manager Conte is a big boost, too.

The Telegraph's Matt Law provided more context on the prospective transfer and noted the likely cost of a deal for the Brazilian-born defender:

Liverpool have also been linked with a bid for the 23-year-old, who has been absent for most of this season in his attempts to come back from an anterior cruciate ligament injury he picked up in May.

Emerson has played only 105 minutes of first-team football this term, which could have encouraged Roma's apparent inclination to let the player leave, per Sport Witness:

Alonso has once again been an important player on the left for Chelsea this season, but Goal's Nizaar Kinsella reported their search for an alternative has taken them from Juventus' Alex Sandro and to the Italian capital with Emerson.

The former Brazil under-17 international is still waiting to make his break and move into the elite bracket of players, but football writer David Amoyal praised his recent improvements:

Elsewhere, Chelsea's reported pursuit of West Ham United forward Carroll appears to be over after he suffered an ankle injury that will keep him sidelined for at least four weeks, per Jason Burt of the Telegraph.

Carroll could be out of action for three to four months in the event further scans show surgery is needed, and west London writer Dan Levene suggested just days prior how close the transfer appeared to be:

Conte seems to be on the lookout for a strong centre-forward figure in attack, with Michy Batshuayi struggling to fire on all cylinders this season and Alvaro Morata encountering a goal drought of late.

Carroll's injury blow also sees West Ham lose the bargaining chip they had in their attempts to sign Batshuayi, per Burt's report, with both clubs now forced to reassess their winter renovations.