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Anan Khalaili set to become most expensive Israeli footballer in £21m Crystal Palace move
Haifa-born Arab-Israeli winger would become the only Israeli currently playing in the Premier League if the deal is completed
Arab-Israeli footballer Anan Khalaili is set to become Israel’s most expensive player ever with a reported £21 million move to Crystal Palace.
The 21-year-old winger is closing in on a switch from Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise to the Premier League club, according to reports in Israel.
Khalaili’s representatives told Israeli news site Walla that he is on the verge of signing for Palace, while Sport 5 reported that the transfer is a “done deal”.
Palace are reportedly prepared to pay £21 million for the Haifa-born Israel international, who has made 16 appearances for his country.
If completed at that price, the deal would comfortably break the Israeli transfer record. Mu’nas Dabbur’s £15 million move from Red Bull Salzburg to Sevilla in 2019 currently holds the mark.
Khalaili would also become the only Israeli currently playing in the Premier League, with Manor Solomon poised to leave Tottenham for West Ham, who were relegated to the Championship last season.
Solomon is reportedly set to join the east London club for £5 million, with a further £2 million in potential add-ons and a 10 percent sell-on clause.
Khalaili’s expected move to Selhurst Park comes after a proposed transfer to Inter Milan fell through last month following a medical.
Nottingham Forest later reportedly had a £17 million bid rejected by Union SG, while Newcastle had also been linked with the highly rated winger.
Khalaili was born in Haifa after his family moved from the Arab-Israeli city of Sakhnin. He came through Maccabi Haifa’s youth system before breaking into the first team and moved to Belgium in 2024.
He has since established himself at Union SG while becoming a regular member of Israel’s national squad.
Football runs in the family. His father, Majdi, was a player and manager, while his younger brother Iyad plays for Maccabi Haifa.
A move to Palace would now take Khalaili to English football for the first time and see one of Israel’s leading young players arrive in the Premier League for a national-record fee.
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