Chelsea in talks to sign Atalanta defender Ahanor

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Chelsea are in talks to sign Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor.

The Blues expressed an interest in the 18-year-old Italian when they signed right-back Marco Palestra from the Serie A side in July.

BBC Sport has been told Atalanta are willing to sell Ahanor if their 40m euro (£34.3m) valuation is met.

Ahanor, who mainly plays at left-back, joined Atalanta from Genoa on a three-year deal last summer for a reported fee of 16m euros, plus 4m euros in add-ons.

He made 28 appearances in Serie A for Atalanta last season, establishing himself as a regular starter for the Italian club. He also made his Champions League debut in a 2-1 win against Club Brugge in September.

In May, he was called up by Italy for friendly matches against Luxembourg and Greece.

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has been building his squad since taking over at Stamford Bridge in July, signing England midfielder Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for a club record £117m, and adding experienced Premier League players Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson.

Chelsea face Brighton at home in the Premier league on Sunday after beating Fulham 3-2 in their opening match of the season on Monday.

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