Even before the announcement: Anan Khalaili's number at Crystal Palace revealed
Fabrizio Romano updated that the English club and Union Saint-Gilloise have completed all stages for the transfer of the Israeli for approximately 24.5 million euros.
Anan Khalaili may be announced as a Crystal Palace player in the coming hours. After reports in England indicated that the deal is on the verge of completion, Fabrizio Romano updated this morning (Friday) that the English club and Union Saint-Gilloise have finalized all stages of the Israeli's transfer.
According to Romano, Crystal Palace will pay 21 million pounds (about 24.5 million euros) for Khalaili, with the fee already agreed upon between the clubs.
The move follows a turbulent summer for Khalaili. As recalled, he was already on his way to Inter, which had reached an agreement with Union Saint-Gilloise for his purchase, but the deal fell through after the Israeli failed the medical examinations at the Italian champions. Now, having completed his medicals at Crystal Palace, he is set to move to the Premier League.
As reported earlier this week on Sky Sports, Khalaili is expected to provide competition for Daniel Munoz for the right wing-back position. The deal with Union Saint-Gilloise has progressed rapidly in recent days, and according to Romano, it effectively remains only to finalize the submission of documents for Khalaili to become a Crystal Palace player.
Even before the latest update, Union Saint-Gilloise CEO Philippe Bormans addressed the impending move:
"Khalaili has a huge future ahead of him. He has the physical attributes for the Premier League. Anan is ready for this step."
Meanwhile, evidence has appeared on social media suggesting the move was completed in an unusual way, after a fan who arrived at training to ask for autographs uploaded a photo showing a signature from Khalaili, who was present at the session. According to the documentation, the Israeli is expected to wear the number 25 shirt at Crystal Palace, which he also wore at Union Saint-Gilloise, as Khalaili signed for the fan with the number 25 next to his name.
