Palestra ready for Chelsea official debut, but Italy call uncertain
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 01: Marco Palestra of Chelsea looks on during the Sydney Super Cup match between Chelsea FC and Tottenham at Accor Stadium on August 01, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Marco Palestra finally resumed training with Chelsea today and could make his return to the field this weekend, but it could affect his Italy call-up for the Nations League.
The former Atalanta and Cagliari wing-back had been very impressive in pre-season after his transfer to London worth in the region of €60m including add-ons.
However, he sustained a knock in the final friendly and hasn’t yet made a single competitive appearance for the Blues.
Palestra yet to make Chelsea debut
It is reported that Palestra was back in training today for the first time in several weeks and is not expected to manage more than at best a second half cameo in this weekend’s Premier League match.
The extent of the injury, or even which part of the leg it affected, has not been clarified by Chelsea sources.
It remains to be seen if he will even be part of Roberto Mancini’s Italy squad for the Nations League fixtures, seeing as he has not played at all so far this season.
The 21-year-old only made his senior Italy debut in March 2026 and has two caps for his country.
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