Summary:
- Arsenal has reached an agreement in principle with Bologna for Italy international defender Riccardo Calafiori.
- The 22-year-old needs to go through a medical before the official papers are signed with the Gunners.
- The deal is worth roughly £42 million.
Defender for Serie A club Bologna and Italy’s national team, Riccardo Calafiori, is getting ready for an Arsenal medical. If all goes well, we could be soon joining with the north London club’s pre-season training camp in the US ahead of the new Premier League season which UK Non GamStop Bettors will be excited for.
The 22-year-old is expected to join Arsenal for a £42 million long-term contract after the club reached an agreement in principle with Bologna.
The player will become the sixth-most expensive signing since Arteta’s appointment.
High Interest for Calafiori
According to Sky Sports News sources, a different Premier League club, as well as Real Madrid and Juventus also attempted to sign Calafiori in the last 10 days.
Nonetheless, the Italian defender was determined to accept only an Arsenal move and even gave his word that he would join them.
Calafiori’s representative from the World Soccer Agency, Alessandro Lucci, has collaborated with both Arsenal and Bologna in the past month to make sure the deal would go through.
The Italian club bought the player from Basel a year ago for £3.4 million, with the Swiss club standing to make 50% of the Italian club’s profit on any deal.
Top-Tier Defence for Arsenal
Last season, Arsenal set a club record for goals scored in the Premier League at 91. However, it was their defense that truly shined, as the Gunners only conceded 29 times, which was five fewer than Manchester City.
No other side got even close to their tally of 18 clean sheets, thanks to the excellent strategy developed by Mikel Arteta who wanted to build the squad from back to front and strengthen their foundations. Despite all this Arsenal still came short in the race for the Premier League title with Man City piping them to the post on the last day of the season. Can Arsenal get over the line this time with the addition of Calafiori? Get the best offshore bookmaker odds right here
With Calafiori now included, 18 of the side’s 24 first-team signings under Arteta have been either defenders, goalkeepers, or defensive midfielders, for a whopping total fee of £488 million in total.
The amount is more than double the club spent on six forwards or attacking midfielders.
The summer transfer window for 2024 will officially close on August 30 at 11 pm UK time in the Premier League and at 11.30 pm in Scotland.