A month after a failed Inter Milan medical derailed what looked like the move of his career, Anan Khalaili is getting another shot — and this time it's Crystal Palace, €28 million, and a place in the Premier League.
The 21-year-old winger's representatives confirmed to Israeli outlet Walla that the deal is effectively done. At €28m (around $32.5 million), it would make the Haifa-born forward the most expensive Israeli player in the history of the game. That's not a symbolic milestone — it's a market statement about where Israeli football currently stands.
From Anderlecht's stadium to Selhurst Park
Khalaili has earned this. Playing out of Union SG in the Belgian Pro League, he's been one of the more quietly impressive young wingers in European football this season — including scoring in the Champions League against Marseille in December. Sixteen caps for the Israeli national team at 21 suggests a player who isn't being hyped beyond his level; he's actually delivering at each step up.
The Inter Milan collapse — a failed medical — is the asterisk here. Palace will have done their due diligence. Whether that medical concern is behind him or becomes a recurring storyline is probably the most important unknown in this deal.
For Palace, the context matters. They won the UEFA Conference League this season and are heading into the Europa League next year. Signing a young wide forward with Champions League experience, even at this price, fits the ambition. Their attacking depth just got a genuine upgrade — and opponents pricing up Palace's European group stage odds should factor in a squad that's still being built.
Solomon heading the other direction
While Khalaili moves up, Manor Solomon is moving sideways. The 25-year-old is set to leave Tottenham for newly relegated West Ham in the Championship, per The Athletic, in a deal worth £5m plus £2m in add-ons and a 10 percent sell-on clause.
Solomon spent last season on loan at Leeds and helped them win promotion to the Premier League. Now he's dropping into the second tier with West Ham — a club trying to bounce straight back up. His experience playing at the top level across England, Spain, and Israel makes him one of the shrewder Championship signings of the window, even if the headline doesn't scream it.
- Khalaili transfer fee: €28 million (record for an Israeli player)
- Crystal Palace currently play in the Premier League and Europa League next season
- Solomon fee: £5m + £2m add-ons, 10% sell-on clause to West Ham
- Solomon helped Leeds earn Premier League promotion on loan in 2024-25
Two Israeli players, two very different trajectories. Khalaili goes up. Solomon adjusts. The more consequential deal, by a distance, is the Palace one — assuming the medical holds.
