Chelsea agree deal to send new £40m signing Honest Ahanor on loan to Crystal Palace | OneFootball

Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement to send Honest Ahanor to Crystal Palace on a season-long loan.

The Blues will allow the 18-year-old to spend a season on loan with the Eagles before he joins them officially next summer, according to transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano.

Chelsea reached an agreement with Atalanta to sign the young defender for £40 million, and he has already undergone medical tests in London.

Ahanor will officially remain on the books of the Serie A club as his move to Chelsea is a deferred transfer for the 2027-28 season.

He is expected to undergo a medical on Monday. Ahanor will have the chance to gain crucial Premier League experience ahead of officially joining Chelsea.

Palace lost their first-choice left-sided centre-back Chadi Riad to injury last week, and will have Ahanor compete with Takehiro Tomiyasu for a first-team spot.

Chelsea’s arrangement for Ahanor with the Eagles is similar to the ones they had for youngster Geovany Quenda last season and Mike Penders the season before.

They avoid taking up loan spots with these players by effectively completing their signing a year before they are actually needed.

This allows the Blues to dictate how they spend their year while they officially remain on the books of their previous club.