Napoli want to sign Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri on a six-month loan deal, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The Serie A side are aiming to snap up the Italian on a temporary basis before they make a surprise attempt to sign Kieran Tierney from Arsenal.

Emerson started the 4-0 win over Morecambe in the FA Cup yesterday but he is very much an understudy for Ben Chilwell and there has been speculation about a possible departure before the January transfer window closes.

The fullback’s agent has come out in recent days to say that no team has made a formal offer for the 26-year-old, although there have been a number of enquiries made for the player.

From Chelsea’s point of view, manager Frank Lampard would probably prefer to offload Marcos Alonso, rather than Emerson, with the Spaniard having not played since September. The Blues may also prefer a sale with the club keen on raising funds to sign West Ham’s Declan Rice.