Chelsea scouts ‘ever-present’ in watching classy Serie A star as Man City transfer battle ignites – Sources | OneFootball

Chelsea and Manchester City are both paying a close attention to Atalanta starlet Honest Ahanor, TEAMtalk can reveal, but they are just two of several Premier League and European sides tracking him

The 17-year-old only joined Atalanta in the summer, joining from Genoa in a €20m (£17.5m / $23.6m) deal, but his stay at Bergamo could be fleeting.

Left-sided Ahanor, who is comfortable at centre-half, full-back and in midfield, has started half a dozen games for Atalanta, and scouts are flocking to see him in action.

Well-placed sources have confirmed that Chelsea are paying close attention to Ahanor. He is a player they have been keen for a number of years, after first spotting him in Genoa’s youth academy.

BlueCo are not alone in their admiration, as we can confirm that the City Group and Man City are following him closely too.

A source close to Atalanta told us: “Every top club Europe is watching Honest, but in recent weeks Chelsea and City have been virtually ever-present.

“He is a huge talent.”

Man Utd, Tottenham, Newcastle also in the mix

Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle have also been watching Ahanor this season, but so too have Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig.

Ahanor himself is understood to be very happy at Atalanta, but the club will have the chance to more than triple their money on the teenager come the summer.

He will be able to move to England for the first time at the end of this season, as he turns 18 in February.

Chelsea and Man City have a successful record of investing in Europe’s most exciting youngsters and Ahanor certainly fits into that category.

He has shown maturity beyond his years for Atalanta this season and undoubtedly has a bright future ahead.

Ahanor is contracted with Atalanta until 2028, which puts the Italian club in a strong negotiating position.

But if a bid in the region of €60m (£52.6m / $70.7m) was to arrive for Ahanor, it could force Atalanta into a difficult decision.

The versatile defender is a player to keep a very close eye on over the coming months.

Latest Chelsea news: Next Pedri eyed / Disasi sounds out Real Madrid

Meanwhile, reports suggest that Chelsea have leapfrogged in the race to sign AZ Alkmaar sensation Kees Smit, who has been compared to Barcelona superstar Pedri by Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman.

The Blues are said to have recently held talks with Smit’s camp, putting them in a strong position to move for the 17-year-old Dutch midfielder.

In other news, Chelsea defender Axel Disasi, who has made just one Premier League appearance this season, is looking for a way out of Stamford Bridge.

And now, Disasi’s agents have reportedly spoken to Real Madrid about the possibility of joining them in January, as Los Blancos look to add to their defensive options.