How Atalanta help Chelsea avoid Crystal Palace loan restriction for Ahanor

Atalanta’s solid financial status and good rapport with Chelsea has allowed Crystal Palace to circumnavigate the limits on loan players, sending Honest Ahanor to London.

Eyebrows were raised yesterday when it was reported that Crystal Palace had beaten Brighton and Hove Albion to the opportunity to take Ahanor on loan once he moves to Chelsea for €48m.

This is because they already have Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea, and the Premier League rules prevent two clubs from having more than one loan per season.

Atalanta make Ahanor to Crystal Palace possible

Calcio e Finanza explain the reason this is possible is a gentlemen’s agreement and the financial stability of the Serie A side.

Essentially, Atalanta will loan Ahanor directly to Crystal Palace for this season, with everyone aware that he will end up at Chelsea next summer.

This is made possible because Atalanta are in no rush to cash in on Ahanor’s sale, especially as they already sold Marco Palestra to the Stamford Bridge side for circa €50m plus add-ons.

The Bergamo side are one of the only clubs in Europe’s top five leagues to consistently run at a profit, largely from player sales and their excellent youth academy.

It is therefore likely we’ll see Ahanor go directly to Crystal Palace and won’t officially become a Chelsea player at all until 2027.