Crystal Palace are set to sign defender Honest Ahanor on loan from Atalanta.On Thursday, The Athletic reported that Chelsea had agreed a £40million (€46m) deal with personal terms in place on a long-term contract for Ahanor and that he would undergo a medical.That deal is still in place, with the 18-year-old to arrive at Chelsea permanently next summer, with Palace signing him on loan directly from Atalanta for the current season.He joined Atalanta last summer from Genoa, for whom he made six appearances, before playing 35 times in all competitions, including nine in the Champions League, last season.Ahanor has twice been capped by Italy, coming on as a substitute during a 1-0 win over Luxembourg in June and starting a 1-0 win over Greece four days later.Chelsea signed centre-back Maxence Lacroix from Palace this summer for £52million, leaving the south London side in need of another defender.A deal to sign Joel Ordonez from Club Brugge on loan with an obligation to make it a permanent move was agreed but complications surrounding his existing injury flagged in his medical have put it in serious doubt.
Chadi Riad suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Palace’s opening game of the season, a 2-1 defeat by Everton, leaving them with only three senior centre-backs: Chris Richards, new signing Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jaydee Canvot.They then concluded a season-long loan deal for Chelsea’s Axel Disasi last week.‘Palace get depth and Ahanor gets PL experience’Analysis by Crystal Palace reporter Matt WoosnamThis deal gives Palace some depth at centre-back. They were excited by the possibility of signing Ordonez but that move looks unlikely to happen now, and while Ahanor is young and inexperienced, he has played in the Champions League, as well as a full season in Serie A.With Disasi having joined, Palace have the leadership at the back that manager Pierre Sage said in his first press conference before the defeat by Everton was missing. Tomiyasu has experience and quality, although there are questions about his physical resilience given his injury history.They had also considered a move for Raphael Le Guen, the 19-year-old centre-back at Brest, but have not pursued that deal. Ahanor fits the young defender profile but this is only a loan. He will likely be Riad’s replacement for the season ahead of joining Chelsea next summer.Palace still need to add a centre-midfielder, with Sage keen on a physical ball-winning type who is still technically capable. They are having to navigate the transfer window conscious that they are struggling with UEFA’s Squad Cost Ratio rules.They have added depth this window, which was their most pressing need. Disasi and Ahanor are temporary fixes at centre-back and Palace will need to identify in January or next summer a permanent Lacroix replacement and potentially another defender.Aug 31, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
