Honest Ahanor: Chelsea in talks to sign Atalanta and Italy defender

Chelsea are in talks to sign Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor, with the Premier League club expressing interest after bringing in right-back Marco Palestra from Serie A in July. BBC Sport reports Atalanta would sell Ahanor if Chelsea meet his €40m (£34.3m) valuation. The 18-year-old Italian, mainly a left-back, joined Atalanta from Genoa on a three-year contract last summer for a reported €16m plus €4m in add-ons. He made 28 Serie A appearances last season and debuted in the Champions League in a 2-1 win over Club Brugge in September. In May, he was called up to Italy for friendlies versus Luxembourg and Greece. Chelsea begin the season facing Brighton at home on Sunday, after beating Fulham 3-2 on Monday.