Great expectations for a €34m move by Atalanta of Italy’s Nigerian-born defender, Honest Ahanor to Brighton & Hove Albion of England may not materialise after all, as his Serie A club are asking for a much higher transfer fee.
Sports247 gathered that, although Ahanor has repeatedly expressed a strong desire to switch his career to the English Premier League this summer, his target runs in contrast with the aspirations of top shots at his Bergamo-based club.
Dramatically, while two transfer experts, Ben Jacobs and Alex Crook noted that Atalanta will make a huge profit from selling the Nigerian-born centre-back for €34m, the former UEFA Europa League champions are holding out for more.
The reckoning at Atalanta is that they cannot afford to sell Ahanor for ‘cheap,’ considering that he has transformed in recent months into one of Europe’s most promising young defenders and he has strong potential to become even better.
A report by Tribal Football adds, “Atalanta would make a significant profit should they accept the offer, having signed Ahanor from Genoa for €20m last summer, making him the second-most expensive Italian 17-year-old in history.
“However, Atalanta’s strong financial position, boosted by expected major sales, means Brighton may need to increase their offer to secure the 18-year-old, who has already made 41 senior appearances, including nine in the Champions League.”
Sports247 gathered further that any hope being held by Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of snatching Ahanor for the Super Eagles might have also been dashed, as he recently got his first senior Italy invitation under The Azurri’s interim coach, Silvio Baldini.
