Chelsea are pushing to sign one of Serie A’s most talked about young defenders. Reports in Italy and England put the fee at roughly €50m, more than three times the €16m Atalanta paid Genoa for Ahanor a year ago.

Personal terms between Chelsea and the player are already agreed, according to reports citing Fabrizio Romano and Gianluca Di Marzio, and the two clubs have moved into direct negotiations off the back of the working relationship built during the Marco Palestra deal earlier in the window.

Atalanta’s sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, appointed at the end of May 2026, has publicly played the story down.

“There’s a lot of interest in some of our players, but we haven’t received any offers yet, not even for Ahanor,” Giuntoli said.

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“If so, we’ll evaluate it.”

Ahanor’s fast rise in Bergamo

Ahanor is a left-footed defender who can play at centre-back or left-back. Born in Aversa to Nigerian parents, he came through Genoa’s academy and made his Serie A debut there before Atalanta signed him last summer.

His first season in Bergamo brought 22 Serie A appearances and nine Champions League matches, and in May 2026 he earned his first senior Italy cap, having only recently become eligible under Italian citizenship rules.

Brighton were among the clubs who tracked him earlier in the window, but Chelsea have moved into pole position.

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Xabi Alonso’s second raid on Atalanta

Ahanor would be the second player Chelsea have taken from Atalanta this summer. Right-back Marco Palestra joined for a reported £47m fee on 1 July, the same day Xabi Alonso officially took charge at Stamford Bridge on a four-year contract.

Palestra was Alonso’s first signing. Ahanor would slot into the same profile: young, versatile, comfortable in possession and a natural fit for a manager whose systems at Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid have leaned on defenders who can carry the ball out.

Chelsea may not throw Ahanor straight into the first team. Get Italian Football News reports the club is weighing a loan to another Premier League side or a move to sister club Strasbourg for the coming season.

Nothing has been confirmed by either club. Giuntoli’s line, for now, is that no offer has arrived and any bid will be assessed on its merits.

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