Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Atalanta centre back Honest Ahanor.
Ahanor, 18, played 22 times last season for the Italians in the Serie A and has already featured in the UEFA Champions League.
The blues swooped in to secure the players’ services, with good relations between the clubs said to be a key factor in completing a deal.
Earlier this summer, Chelsea did business with Atalanta by signing Marco Palestra.
Anahor is regarded as one of the brightest defensive prospects in Italy and will add another left footed option to the Blues ranks in the 2027/28 season.
That is because Chelsea have agreed to formally sign the player in 2027, with a loan spell at Crystal Palace for the 2026/27 season now agreed.
This type of deal is also known as a pre agreement. Chelsea have done them before with the likes of Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo, who both joined from Sporting, as well as Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg.
It is understood that Chelsea will pay a total fee of around £40m, which shows the scale of belief they have in the young talent.
