OL have nabbed the left-back they have been looking for. Brazilian-born Italian international Emerson Palmieri, on the books at reigning European champions Chelsea, has been loaned out for a season to Lyon, the club announced on Thursday.

The fee for the loan is €500,000, to which can be added bonuses totalling a maximum of €500,000, and the agreement comes with a priority purchase clause that runs until the end of the 2022 season. The 27-year-old was transferred from AS Roma to the London club in 2018 and his contract runs through to 30 June 2023. Emerson has played a total of 71 games (two goals) with Chelsea, but played just 15 last season (two in the Premier League, one goal).

A great record at Chelsea

With Chelsea, Emerson won the Champions League and European Supercup in 2021, the Europa League in 2019 and the FA Cup in 2018. Before coming to Europe, Emerson Palmieri dos Santos, a Brazilian youth international, came up through the youth academy at Santos FC before being loaned to Palermo (Italy, 2014-2015) and then to AS Roma (2015-2016), where he was transferred in 2016 for two million euros. After obtaining Italian nationality in 2017, Emerson earned his first call-up to the Azzurri in September 2018 and has gone on to earn 19 caps.

European champion

He was crowned European champion with the Nazionale at Euro 2020 this summer. He started the tournament as a substitute before becoming a starter when teammate Leonardo Spinazzola was injured in the quarter-final against Belgium.

Emerson Palmieri is the third recruit for the Rhône valley club, following on from the arrivals of defenders Damien Da Silva (Rennes) and Henrique Silva (Vasco de Gama) on free transfers in June. Expected to start for OL in Sunday's Ligue 1 Uber Eats match against Clermont, Emerson shoaled become the third Italian player to play for Lyon after Fabio Grosso (2007-2009) and Mattia De Sciglio last season.

(Photo: OL.fr)

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