HERE WE GO: Arsenal complete the signing of Italian Defender on a 5yr deal, Medical completed last night – Unveiling currently ongoing at London Colney
HERE WE GO: Arsenal complete the signing of Italian Defender on a 5yr deal, Medical completed last night – Unveiling currently ongoing at London Colney
Arsenal are pushing for a deal to sign Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori before any other side can steal a march – and have reportedly offered the defender a wage of £65,000-per-week in a bid to land him before their rivals pursue a move.
The Gunners have been cautious in the centre-back market in the past compared to other clubs, only signing Gabriel and William Saliba in recent years whilst other Premier League rivals have signed the likes of Josko Gvardiol, Wesley Fofana, Micky van de Ven and Lisandro Martinez to name but a few. That could be set to change in the coming weeks, with the north London reportedly edging ahead of others in their bid to sign Calafiori – and according to TuttoBologna, they have declared their personal terms for the former Roma star in a bid to tempt him to the club as they push to win a first top-flight title in 21 years.
Arsenal Have Offered Riccardo Calafiori Improved Terms
The defender could be on his way to north London soon
The report states that Arsenal are making progress in a move for the defender, with the north London outfit continuing to push for his signature – and Mikel Arteta’s men will aim to finish a move as soon as possible.
Although the club are yet to reach an agreement with Bologna for the transfer of the player, their compliance to meet the demands of the deal has given them a ‘significant’ advantage over other interested clubs including Chelsea and Juventus. Fabrizio Romano recently described the defender as ‘one of the best in the world’.
Arsenal are offering €4million per year to Calafiori in order to close a deal, which works out as £65,000-per-week – whilst Bologna want a fee in the region of £43million to part ways with their defender star in the coming days.
Bologna, however, could offer Calafiori a new deal that would see him land a significant wage at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara – and given that the club have qualified for the Champions League, it won’t be out of the question.
Calafiori Would be The Perfect Signing at Arsenal
The Gunners love to play attractive, passing football
There is no doubt that Calafiori’s transfer value will continue to rise given that he is now one of Italy’s best defenders, having starred for the national team at EURO 2024.
Having only made two appearances for his country in the warm-up games ahead of the tournament in Germany, Italy as a whole weren’t impressive – but Calafiori’s committed displays in brave defending, bringing the ball out confidently and looking generally composed as a ball-playing defender have certainly caught the eye.
He was unfortunate to score an own goal against Spain two weeks ago, but he more than remedied his error with a superb assist for Mattia Zaccagni in the last-gasp 1-1 draw vs Croatia in the group stages, which saw them finish second in the group to just about qualify for the knockout stages – and that glimpse of world-class quality will be something that Arteta will more than treasure at the Emirates Stadium.
Saliba and Gabriel are the bonafide first-choice centre-backs at present, but with only Jakub Kiwior as a decent backup, Calafiori would be in inspired signing for the future – in which he can even fill in at left-back should Oleksandr Zinchenko’s form drop massively in the coming months.
