Fabrizio Romano confirms Chelsea transfer agreement for €40m Ahanor transfer

27 Aug 2026 15:54 BST | 3 min read

Suraj Radia | Editor

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Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement over their next summer signing, with a deal in place to sign young defender Honest Ahanor from Atalanta, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.

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Ahanor emerged as a target for the Blues in recent days, having impressed during a breakout season for Atalanta in which he made 22 appearances in Serie A as well as playing nine times in the Champions League.

Current ETV

Honest Ahanor

D (L)

Atalanta

Honest Ahanor

D (L)

Atalanta

ETV Range

€21.4M - €26.2M

Romano has confirmed that a package worth €40 million is said to have been agreed for Ahanor, who only joined Atalanta last summer for €16m from Genoa, with the deal now being formalised to allow the player to travel for a medical.

Chelsea will then decide the best pathway for Ahanor, knowing that they already have a surplus of defenders on their books as well as many youngsters on loan at BlueCo affiliate Strasbourg.

Previous reports have suggested that Chelsea could look to find Ahanor a Premier League club on loan in order to develop before linking up with the first team in 2027.

A contract until 2033 is understood to have been drawn up, while the deal may contain add-ons and a small sell-on clause, although the formal details are still being finalised.

Chelsea add Ahanor to squad as defensive logjam continues

Atalanta sporting director Cristiano Guintoli admitted this week that his side would consider Ahanor’s departure if the right proposal was made, having fielded interest from teams such as Brighton.

© IMAGO - Honest Ahanor has agreed to join Chelsea.

The 18-year-old has proven capable of playing as a wide centre-back in a back five or as a left-sided defender in a four, giving Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso plenty of flexibility if he chooses to keep Ahanor in his squad this season to back up Levi Colwill.

Intriguingly, the club’s BlueCo owners also signed a similar player in Karim Coulibaly this month for Strasbourg, while Chelsea have another left-footed centre-back in Mamadou Sarr on their books.

There is also the need to resolve the futures of other defenders such as Aaron Anselmino and Tosin Adarabioyo, both of whom are unlikely to feature for Alonso this season.

Chelsea seemingly accelerated negotiations for Ahanor due to their strong relationship with Atalanta, having also signed defender Marco Palestra from the Serie A side earlier this summer.