Chelsea open talks for the 'new Paolo Maldini' - insider

Chelsea open talks for the 'new Paolo Maldini' - insider Make us your Google favourite Chelsea have begun exploring a deal for Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor , who has been compared to a young Paolo Maldini due to his immense potential. At just 18, the centre-back has already racked up 41 senior appearances for Genoa and Atalanta. Ahanor joined the latter in a €16 million deal last summer and would go on to make 19 starts in 2025/26. The fact that he is a centre-back by trade makes this even more remarkable. Players his age are not supposed to be starting in such a crucial position at the highest level of European football. Since his emergence at Genoa two years ago, Ahanor has been viewed as the future of the Italian national team, which obviously has a wonderful history of producing elite defenders, like the teenager's idol Paolo Maldini. Had it not been for Italy's archaic citizenship laws, he would likely already have more than just two senior caps under his belt. However, because his parents are Nigerian, he was only able to acquire citizenship when he turned 18 in February - despite having been born in Italy. Chelsea open Ahanor talks Given his rapid rise to prominence, Ahanor has been linked with a Premier League transfer since last year. There were some tentative links with Chelsea in late 2025, and it seems that their interest was genuine. According to insider , and confirmed by insider , Chelsea are in discussions with Atalanta and Ahanor's camp over a potential late-window transfer. It is noted that the relationship between the two clubs is strong after the Blues signed Marco Palestra earlier this summer. However, the Bergamo club have been insisting all summer that the 18-year-old is going nowhere. They have rebuffed at least two formal offers from suitors, with one bid having come from Brighton. "We want to keep our jewels," director Cristiano Giuntoli said when asked about Ahanor earlier this summer. "There are many rumours around, but we do not want to sell anyone." Romano notes that Atalanta consider Ahanor a key player, whereas Chelsea are viewing him as an "investment for the future." He would likely have to be sent out on loan initially. Alternatively, the Blues could look to pre-agree a deal for next year, similar to their transfers for Geovany Quenda and Emmanuel Emegha. According to data analytics firm SciSports, Ahanor would be a worthwhile investment - but there is one issue. Ahanor has elite potential, but so does Coulibaly The data experts believe that Ahanor is one of the most promising defenders in world football. SciSports calculates a current ability level and potential based on hundreds of in-game data points. Ahanor compares favourably to some of the biggest prospects in the sport in terms of his ceiling, except for Barcelona sensation Pau Cubarsi, who is the one major outlier - the Spain defender's potential is on another planet. The Italian ranks fifth among teenage centre-backs for potential, and if he lives up to the billing, he could comfortably develop into the best defender at Chelsea. Even Levi Colwill's potential is not thought to be as high as Ahanor's. But here is what makes this Chelsea pursuit quite strange: one of the centre-backs with an even higher potential than Ahanor is Karim Coulibaly, who just joined BlueCo sister club Strasbourg. The two players are a similar profile as they are both mobile, left-footed centre-backs. The difference is that the German's ceiling is believed to be considerably higher than Ahanor's. Signing Ahanor when you already have an arguably better option on the books would possibly be the most Chelsea move imaginable. They obviously have no qualms about stockpiling talent. Teenage centre-backs ranked by potential (SciSports) PlayerClubAgePotentialPau CubarsiBarcelona19174.6Neil PierrePhiladelphia Union18139.4Karim CoulibalyStrasbourg19138.1Luka VuskovicBrighton19136.6Honest AhanorAtalanta18124.5 Of course, player development isn't linear. There is no guarantee that Coulibaly or Ahanor live up to their potential. By signing both, you increase your chances of eventually having a world-class centre-back on your hands. Yet at the same time, you're not doing right by the players if you sign them without a clear plan to actually use them. Signing Ahanor when he isn't guaranteed minutes right now, and when you already have Coulibaly in the pipeline, could seriously stunt the development of one of Eur