Marco Palestra is on the verge of completing a move from Atalanta to Chelsea, and the scouting reports paint a vivid picture of what the 21-year-old Italy international will bring to the Premier League.

Cagliari head coach Fabio Pisacane offered perhaps the most colourful assessment. "He seems like a player built on the PlayStation," Pisacane told Sky in Italy. "Ninety-nine per cent acceleration and so on. He is handsome even when he runs. He looks like a panther, like a leopard."

Even Palestra's surname means gym in Italian — a fitting coincidence, given that manager Xabi Alonso has made athleticism central to his vision on the flanks at Chelsea. But raw pace is far from the full story.

Dribbling and versatility at the heart of his game

Palestra can operate on either flank, as a full-back or as a wing-back, and crosses comfortably with both feet. In Serie A last season, only Juventus star Kenan Yildiz completed more take-ons than the young Italian. He ranked ninth in the league for successful crosses from open play and third for corners won — a testament to his relentless desire to get beyond his marker.

Former Atalanta development coach Francesco Modesto highlighted a particularly deceptive quality. "He has a dribbling ability few have. A right-footed player carrying the ball with his left means you never understand which way he can go. He knows how to cross with both his left and right."

A loan season that proved his readiness

After tasting Champions League football under Gian Piero Gasperini at Atalanta, Palestra spent last season on loan at Cagliari, where he started almost every match in Pisacane's 3-5-2 system — the same formation Alonso employed at Bayer Leverkusen.

"He pulled the cart, as they say, for seven or eight months, all in one breath," Pisacane said. "National team, everything." That debut came on the opening weekend, in front of 70,000 supporters in Naples, and Palestra quickly announced himself with a dribbling run that led to a 2-0 goal against Parma. An assist for Andrea Belotti against Lecce followed in the very next fixture.

"From there on in, Marco played all the way," the coach added.

International recognition and a bright future

Palestra was one of the few Italy players to emerge with any credit from the side's World Cup play-off defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in March, and is widely regarded as a cornerstone of the national team's future. His dribbling is seen as evidence of a quality sorely lacking in Italian football at present.

Bournemouth expressed interest last summer, believing he would suit their high-intensity style, while scouts from across Europe made regular trips to Sardinia to watch him perform. He also featured for Atalanta against Real Madrid in the Super Cup and was handed a Champions League start.

The physical gifts that define him today were not always there. Palestra has said he was slow as a youngster, before a growth spurt in his mid-teens reshaped his entire athletic profile. Modesto believes those attributes translate directly to England: "Because of the physicality that he has."

Potential still largely untapped

Those closest to Palestra insist his best is still ahead of him. Pisacane was emphatic on the point. "Marco, in my opinion, has not shown all his potential yet. Marco has shown, I don't want to exaggerate, 60 to 70 per cent."

Praise extends beyond technical ability. "Qualities not only technical and tactical, but a boy who has a good head on his shoulders, has a family that helps him a lot, serious people," Pisacane said.

If Alonso can unlock the remaining 30 to 40 percent, Chelsea may have found one of the Premier League's most exciting wide players.