Davide Zappacosta is reportedly on the brink of leaving Chelsea on loan to join Serie A side, Atalanta.
According to Sky Sports, Atalanta have arisen as the first choice to sign the underused defender this year.
Zappacosta only recently returned from Italy, following his loan stint with Genoa last season.
He spent the campaign before that on Roma’s books and is apparently intent on making it a third straight term in his native land.
His Chelsea career has certainly taken a steep turn since Antonio Conte signed him in 2017 for £23m (Sky Sports).
In his maiden spell, the right-back made a respectable 38 appearances across all competitions under Conte.
The 29-year-old featured in a Champions League knockout tie away to Barcelona and the League Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal.
After Conte’s dismissal, the full-back found himself shunted to the wings.
Zappacosta’s last outing for Chelsea arrived in the 2019 Europa League final, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Eden Hazard.
Not too been since at Stamford Bridge, the Italian is hoping to book a flight back home before the transfer departure gate closes.
Thomas Tuchel has no place in the squad for fringe players, especially now he is looking to land a few new faces before the month’s end.
Both Jules Kounde and Saul Niguez remain viable options, a double deal that Blues fans would love to see happen.