Chelsea are in advanced negotiations over a €40 million deal to sign Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor, with the highly rated teenager already agreeing personal terms with the Premier League giants, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
According to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are working on an agreement that would see the 18-year-old initially join another Premier League club this summer to continue his development before moving to Stamford Bridge in June 2027.
“Chelsea are in advanced talks over a €40m deal for Honest Ahanor from Atalanta,” Romano wrote on X.
“Understand the agreement for 18-year-old defender would include joining a Premier League club this summer in order to develop and then join Chelsea in June 2027.
“Honest already said yes to Chelsea.”
Ahanor enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Atalanta last season, making 22 Serie A appearances and establishing himself as one of the club’s promising young defenders.
The defender began his youth career at Genoa, progressing through the Italian club’s U15, U16 and U17 teams before making the switch to Atalanta in July 2025 for a reported €16 million, plus €4 million in potential bonuses.
He subsequently signed a three-year contract with the Bergamo-based club, the maximum permitted for a player under the age of 18.
Ahanor also gained experience on the European stage, making his Champions League debut in September 2025 when he played the full 90 minutes in Atalanta’s 2-1 victory over Club Brugge.
Born in Italy to Nigerian parents, Ahanor was initially eligible to represent Nigeria before turning 18. His international eligibility became a subject of discussion because Italian law does not automatically grant citizenship to children born in the country to foreign parents.
After turning 18 and obtaining Italian citizenship, Ahanor received his first call-up to the Italy U21 squad in March 2026 under head coach Silvio Baldini.
He was subsequently included in Italy’s senior squad in May for friendly matches against Luxembourg and Greece in June.
Chelsea’s interest therefore represents another significant step in the rapid development of the versatile defender, who could now spend the coming season gaining regular Premier League experience before completing his move to Stamford Bridge in 2027.