Crystal Palace Set to Sign Israeli Star Anan Khalaily for Record £21 Million Fee

Israeli national team winger Anan Khalaily is poised to officially join Crystal Palace this week, with all terms agreed between the Premier League club and his current team, Union Saint-Gilloise. The only remaining step before finalizing the transfer is for Khalaily to pass medical examinations. Khalaily had previously been close to signing with Inter Milan but failed their stringent medical tests due to heart issues, which also prevented him from joining other Italian clubs.

According to French journalist Santi Aouna and confirmed by David Ornstein of The Athletic, Crystal Palace will pay approximately £21 million (24.5 million euros) for Khalaily, marking the most expensive sale in Union Saint-Gilloise's history. The 21-year-old is expected to sign a five-year contract until summer 2031, with an option for a sixth season. Several Premier League clubs, including Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, and Newcastle, were reportedly interested in Khalaily during the summer transfer window, but Palace appears to have secured his signature.

Crystal Palace, who won their first European trophy last season by claiming the UEFA Conference League, finished 15th in the Premier League and recently appointed French coach Pierre Saha from Lens. The club has yet to make any major signings this summer aside from free transfers Oscar Mingueza from Celta Vigo and Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu from Ajax, following the sale of defender Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea for around 61 million euros.

Khalaily joined Union Saint-Gilloise from Maccabi Haifa in summer 2024 for about 7.5 million euros. He quickly established himself as one of Europe's promising talents after helping his Belgian club win the league and perform well in the Champions League. Last season, Khalaily scored six goals and provided six assists in 52 appearances across all competitions, including three Champions League goals, notably a brace against Marseille and a winning goal against Atalanta.