Atalanta star Honest Ahanor with Chelsea badge
Chelsea are poised to sign another Atalanta defender
Chelsea have reportedly opened initial talks to sign highly-rated Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor, while a fee has been agreed for Nottingham Forest to sign Blues striker Liam Delap.
The 18-year-old left his boyhood side Genoa to join Atalanta in a €16million (£13.7m) deal last summer and went on to make an impressive 35 appearances in all competitions – including three Champions League starts.
Since moving to Bergamo, Ahanor has established himself as one of the brightest young talents in Serie A football, with the teenage defender further enhancing his reputation.
His rapid rise has seen a number of clubs from across Europe chasing his signature, with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that Atalanta have already knocked back two offers from a pair of unnamed teams, with Chelsea now ramping up their interest.
It’s reported that the Stamford Bridge outfit are currently in discussions with both Atalanta and Ahanor’s representatives with a view to concluding a deal before the transfer window closes on September 1.
Despite being used as a left-sided centre-back in a back three at Atalanta, Ahanor is also capable of featuring at full-back, further forward in an attacking role or in midfield.
If Chelsea do snap up the young defender, it will be the second time they’ve done business with Atalanta this summer after striking a £47m agreement for his fellow countryman Marco Palestra.
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Delap heading to Nott’m Forest
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest have agreed a club-record fee worth around £50m to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap, with the 23-year-old set to undergo a medical and sign a long-term contract at the City Ground this week.
As we reported on Monday evening, Delap is bound for Forest after Oliver Glasner played a major role in convincing the frontman to head north.
Delap’s move comes a year after he joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town for £30m, amid strong competition from the likes of Manchester United and Everton at the time.
However, Chelsea made him available for sale after he scored just one Premier League goal in during a 2025/26 campaign where he struggled with shoulder and hamstring issues.
Should he sign on the dotted line, Delap will join fellow summer signings Ousmane Diomande, Xaver Schlager and Steve Benda at the City Ground.
Delap’s arrival would provide competition for strikers Chris Wood and Igor Jesus, who failed to find the target in Forest’s 1-0 opening weekend Premier League loss to Leeds.
As for Chelsea’s striker depth, the Blues snapped up Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg and Danny Welbeck from Brighton over the summer and are also reported to have joined the race to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid.