Crystal Palace Sign Anan Khalaili in £21m Union SG Deal

Crystal Palace have completed the signing of Israel international Anan Khalaili from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on a contract running to 2031. The 21-year-old arrives for a reported fee of around £21 million, the largest outlay of a summer that has otherwise been built on free transfers and swap deals, and he joins a squad whose Premier League record now carries the weight of three trophies won inside 15 months.

The Deal in Full

Khalaili has signed a five-year contract at Selhurst Park, running until June 2031, with an option for a further 12 months. The fee has not been disclosed by either club, but the widely reported figure of £21 million makes him the most expensive outgoing transfer in Union Saint-Gilloise's history, surpassing the sum Benfica paid for Franjo Ivanovic in 2025. The Belgian club are also reported to have retained a sell-on clause.

• FeeReported £21m, a record sale for Union Saint-Gilloise
• ContractFive years, to June 2031, with an option for a further season
• Age21
• PositionRight wing-back, right-back or right winger
• FromRoyale Union Saint-Gilloise, Belgian Pro League
• Last season52 appearances, six goals, six assists in all competitions
• HonoursBelgian Pro League 2024-25, Belgian Cup 2025-26

The transfer is the first fee Palace have paid this summer. Every previous addition arrived on a free, a swap or a loan, and the money spent on Khalaili represents a little over 40 per cent of the £52 million banked when Maxence Lacroix joined Chelsea at the end of July.

Khalaili on His Move

Speaking after completing the move, Khalaili framed the transfer as the natural next step rather than a leap into the unknown.

He was equally direct about why the destination appealed, pointing to a club that has changed its own expectations in the space of two seasons.

The three trophies he refers to are the FA Cup and Community Shield won in 2025 and the Conference League claimed last season, the first European silverware in the club's history.

The Inter Milan Collapse

Palace are signing a player who was, six weeks ago, expected to be playing in Serie A. Khalaili had agreed terms with Inter Milan in July before the move fell through when he was not cleared under Italy's medical certification rules, which are stricter than those applied elsewhere in Europe and are overseen by the national Olympic committee.

That collapse reopened the market. Nottingham Forest had a bid rejected earlier in the window, while Bournemouth and Newcastle United were also credited with interest before Palace moved decisively, completing their own medical checks on Sunday and pushing the paperwork through in the days that followed.

From Haifa to a Belgian Title

Born in Haifa, Khalaili came through at Maccabi Haifa and moved to Union Saint-Gilloise in the summer of 2024 as a 19-year-old with no experience outside Israeli football. The adjustment took very little time. In his first season in Brussels the club won the Belgian Pro League for the first time in 90 years, ending one of the longest title droughts in European football.

A Belgian Cup followed last season, giving him two winners' medals before his 22nd birthday. He has also been capped at senior level by Israel, with 16 appearances reported to date.

Champions League Pedigree

The detail that will interest Palace supporters most is where his goals came from. Of the six he scored across 52 appearances last season, three arrived in the Champions League, including a brace against Marseille in Brussels in December. Very few 21-year-olds arriving in the Premier League this summer can point to that kind of return at that level.

The context matters as well. Union Saint-Gilloise were newcomers to the competition and Khalaili was operating against full-backs and wingers of a considerably higher standard than the Belgian league offers week to week. His output did not drop.

Sage's Fifth Summer Signing

Khalaili is the fifth addition of Pierre Sage's first window in charge, and the shape of that window has been unusual. Palace waited, sold well and only then spent.

Mingueza and Tomiyasu arrived on frees to reinforce a defence that lost Lacroix to Chelsea, McNeil came in the swap that took Brennan Johnson to Everton, and Guessand returned on loan after helping Palace to the Conference League in the second half of last season. Every one of those deals is logged on our running Premier League summer 2026 transfers page, which is updated through to deadline day on 1 September.

What Khalaili Gives Palace

Sage's system leans heavily on attacking wing-backs, which is precisely the profile Khalaili has spent two seasons developing. He carries the ball long distances, beats his man on the outside and delivers low from the byline, and the defensive side of his game held up in the Champions League as well as the Belgian league. He is also comfortable further forward, giving Sage a right-sided option who can be pushed up or pulled back depending on the opponent.

Game time should not be an issue. Palace are competing in four competitions this season, including a Europa League campaign earned through their Conference League triumph, and Khalaili's European experience is one of the clearest reasons the club were willing to break their summer spending duck for him. The Premier League season begins at Everton on 22 August.

He is also the second high-profile Israel international to move to a London club in this window, following Manor Solomon's switch from Tottenham to West Ham earlier in August. For a fuller picture of the club he is joining, our Crystal Palace statistics hub carries the all-time records, squad numbers and head-to-head data.

Frequently Asked Questions