A process is disclosed for preparing 2-aryl-substituted indenes by reacting an indene with an arene compound substituted with an halogen atom, preferably a iodine atom, or with an organosulphonate group, said reaction being carried out in a basic medium in the presence of a palladium catalyst. The compounds obtainable by this process can be used to prepare metallocene compounds with transition metals such as titanium, zirconium or hafnium, which are useful as catalyst components in the polymerization of olefins.