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Arsenal ‘remain in contact’ to sign Riccardo Calafiori

By Ritayan Chatterjee on July 18, 2024

Arsenal reportedly ‘remain in contact’ with Bologna over a deal to sign Riccardo Calafiori this summer, as per the transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Gunners are said to be keen on reinforcing their frontline and the engine room in this transfer window. They have been linked with numerous names over the last few weeks but haven’t made any concrete approach to sign anyone yet.

It appears the North London club are first looking to strengthen their backline by signing a new left-footed defender before bolstering other areas of the squad.

Arsenal have reportedly identified Calafiori as the primary target and have already agreed on personal terms with him to lure him to the Emirates Stadium.

However, despite being in negotiations with Bologna for a few weeks, Arsenal haven’t been able to sign their target. So, reports started to emerge that the deal has now reached an impasse and things aren’t progressing at the moment.

Calafiori to Arsenal

Writing on The Daily Briefing, Romano has now given a fresh update regarding this deal and said that Arsenal ‘remain in contact’ with Bologna but the two parties haven’t been able to reach an agreement yet.

The journalist further claims that Bologna want a fee of around £42m and they want ‘guaranteed money’ as they will have to give Basel 50% of the fee but Arsenal want to include add-ons to reach the Rossoblu’s asking price. So, this is the disagreement that is preventing this deal from fruition.

Romano wrote:

“I know Arsenal fans are keen for an update on Riccardo Calafiori, but there are no substantial changes to the situation yet. Arsenal and Bologna remain in contact but there’s no agreement over the €50m fee.

“The issue is that Bologna want guaranteed money while Arsenal’s proposal includes add-ons structure to get to €50m potential fee. Despite what has been suggested elsewhere, there’s no ‘issue’ with Basel: they will receive 50% of the deal, that’s it. Bologna want €50m fixed exactly because they have to give over €20m to Basel, this is the point.”

Meanwhile, Romano says on X that Bologna asked for Jakub Kiwior in a part-exchange deal but the Polish international rejected a move to the Italian club.

Calafiori is a highly talented player and would be a shrewd signing for Arsenal if they purchase him. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club can eventually manage to secure his signature in this transfer window.