Chelsea have reached an agreement, worth up to £40m, to sign Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor.
The 18-year-old Italian has been granted permission to undergo a medical in London and has settled personal terms.
Chelsea’s interest in Ahanor first surfaced after they brought in right-back Marco Palestra from Atalanta in July. It is not yet certain whether new head coach Xabi Alonso will keep the teenager in his first-team group; his camp has indicated he could be loaned immediately to another Premier League side.
Primarily a left-back, Ahanor joined Atalanta from Genoa last summer on a three-year contract for €16m plus up to €4m in add-ons. He made 28 Serie A appearances last season, becoming a regular starter, and debuted in the Champions League in September during a 2-1 win over Club Brugge. In May, he received a call-up to Italy for friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece.
Since taking charge in July, Alonso has continued to reshape the squad, signing England midfielder Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for a club-record £117m and adding experienced Premier League figures Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson.
Chelsea host Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday, following their 3-2 victory over Fulham in Monday’s season opener.