Arsenal target Honest Ahanor is set to be offered a new four-year contract by Atalanta as they look to fend off interest from the Premier League, according to reports in Italy.
Ahanor joined Atalanta from Genoa for a fee of €18 million last summer and he has enjoyed an eye-catching debut campaign in Bergamo, making 30 appearances across all competitions for Raffaele Palladino’s side.
The 18-year-old is yet to establish himself as a consistent regular in Atalanta’s preferred starting XI, but his performances this season have attracted interest from multiple top clubs across Europe, including Arsenal and Chelsea.
Both London giants are understood to be tracking Ahanor’s progress in Serie A, with the view to potentially making a move this summer, however a deal is extremely unlikely to take place. That is because Atalanta are set to reward the Italy U21 international with a new contract, as per Nicolo Schira.
Ahanor’s current deal with the Bergamo outfit is due to expire in 2028, but he is set to be offered a new deal that will run until 2030 as they look to ward off interest from Arsenal and retain his services for at least another season.
Arsenal unlikely to sign Honest Ahanor
With a pursuit of Ahanor unlikely to be successful this summer, it remains to be seen if Arsenal will target an alternative centre-back or if they will retain faith in their current crop of William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie.
It’s likely that Ahanor was seen as a future replacement for Gabriel by the Arsenal hierarchy, given the Brazilian is now 28 years old, and the Gunners could look to rekindle their interest in his signature in 2027 if Atalanta reject a sale this summer.
FootballTransfers understands that Arsenal are also eager to sign a new full-back, central midfielder and left winger, with Newcastle United trio Valentino Livramento, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon all identified as key targets.
The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League table, but they will relinquish the lead if Manchester City beat Burnley by more than one goal on Wednesday night.
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