Brighton have reportedly joined the race to sign Atalanta’s Honest Ahanor.
The defender has hit the ground running since joining the Bergamo outfit from Genoa over the summer, making 10 appearances in all competitions.
Ahanor’s performances have not gone unnoticed though, despite Atalanta’s underwhelming campaign so far, which sees them sit in 13th place in the Serie A and eight points adrift of the top six.
According to Sport Witness, Brighton and Nottingham Forest are both interested in signing the 17-year-old in the January transfer window. Their respective pursuits are described as both being at the initial stages.
Ahanor came through the ranks as a left-back, but the Italian youngster has been moulded into a left-sided centre-back over the past few months and is now thriving in the role. Such versatility is likely to be particularly attractive to both Brighton and Forest.
The Seagulls bolstered their backline significantly over the summer, but with Adam Webster sidelined with a long-term injury and Jan Paul van Hecke yet to extend his stay on the Sussex coast, further reinforcements are likely to be sought after.
Forest are also in the market for a defender to provide cover for Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo, with the latter attracting interest from top sides across Europe.
Nevertheless, Atalanta are in no rush to part ways with their summer signing, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that they will only entertain offers in the region of £35million for their No. 69 – having forked out £17.5m to acquire his services just a matter of months ago.
Chelsea were linked with a move for Ahanor over the summer, but their approach came at a time when Genoa were already in advanced talks with Atalanta, and it remains to be seen whether Enzo Maresca’s side now decide to reignite their pursuit despite the greater price tag at play this time around.