Palestra's move to Chelsea is the fourth-most expensive Italian footballer of all time, with only Mateo Retegui and Sandro Tonali (twice) having moved for bigger fees. The 25-year-old's transfer package totalled €60m, including bonuses.
Two other Serie A players moved for total fees in the region of €40m this summer. Tarik Muharemovic left Sassuolo to join Leeds United in the Premier League in a deal that also benefitted Juventus, who had a 50% sell-on clause for their former youth-team player. Jonathan Rowe also left Bologna after two seasons to join Atalanta on loan with an obligation to buy in a package that also totalled €40m.
The full list of the top 10 most expensive Serie A sales of the 2026 summer transfer window is as follows: Marco Palestra (Atalanta → Chelsea) €60m including bonuses, Jonathan Rowe (Bologna → Atalanta) €40m including loan and obligation to buy fee, Tarik Muharemovic (Sassuolo → Leeds) €40m including bonuses, Rafael Leao (Milan → Galatasaray) €38m plus bonuses, Santiago Castro (Bologna → Roma) €35m plus bonuses, Zion Suzuki (Parma → Aston Villa) €35m including bonuses, Mario Gila (Lazio → Milan) €35m including bonuses, Miguel Gutierrez (Napoli → Bayer Leverkusen) €30m including bonuses, Arthur Atta (Udinese → Fiorentina) €25m plus bonuses, and Mateo Pellegrino (Parma → Fiorentina) €24.5m including bonuses.