Israeli soccer star Anan Khalaili said set to sign with England’s Crystal Palace

Israeli soccer player Anan Khalaili is set to sign with Crystal Palace Football Club, marking an impressive move from the Belgian Pro League to the popular English Premier League, according to multiple reports on Sunday.

Khalaili, 21, a winger who currently plays for Union SG, is on the verge of signing a contract with Palace, his representatives told the Walla news site, a month after his expected move to the Italian team Inter Milan fell through after he failed his medical exam.

Reports said Crystal Palace would pay 28 million euros ($32.5 million) for the Haifa-born star who has made 16 appearances for the Israeli national team. The deal would make him the most expensive Israeli player ever.

It would also make him the only Israeli currently playing in the Premier League, which is considered the world's richest and strongest league.

Palace won their first-ever European trophy at the UEFA Conference League this year, and will also play in the Europa League next season.

Khalaili played for Israeli Premier League team Maccabi Haifa from 2014-2023, and was on loan at Neve Yosef from 2019-2020. He then played for second-division team Hapoel Hadera from 2022-2024 before signing on to the Belgian Pro League team.

Meanwhile, Israeli player Manor Solomon was set to move from the Premier League to the lower English Football League Championship with a transfer to newly relegated West Ham United from Tottenham Hotspur, according to The Athletic .

The report said the deal between the teams includes a £5 million ($6.7 million) transfer fee, £2 million ($2.7 million) in possible add-ons, and a 10 percent sell-on clause.

Solomon, from the central Israeli city of Kfar Saba, began his soccer career playing for Maccabi Petah Tikva in the Israeli league. He has represented the Israeli national team in international competition since he was 17 years old. He signed a five-year, $15 million deal with Tottenham Hotspur in 2023.

During the 2024-2025 season, Solomon was on loan at English Championship team Leeds and helped secure its promotion to the Premier League. For the first half of the previous season, he played for Villarreal in the Spanish Liga, where, at times, he encountered some backlash due to his being from Israel.

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