Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori only wants a move to Arsenal and the Bologna ace is rejecting interest from other clubs to ensure the move to Emirates Stadium happens.
This week, The Mirror reported that Arsenal’s move for Calafiori continues to stall due to a stand-off between Bologna and Basel over his sell-on fee. Negotiations have been at a standstill for weeks, with Bologna even threatening to call off the deal.
Moreover, in a recent report from Sky Sport Italia, Arsenal’s efforts to sign Calafiori have hit a snag despite offering the €50 million asking price.
The deal is currently stalled because Bologna is pushing for more favorable terms. While this opens the door for any club to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Calafiori isn’t listening to offers from other clubs as he’s keen on joining the Gunners.
“At this moment, Arsenal’s priority is to find an agreement with Bologna for Riccardo Calafiori,” Di Marzio told GOAL. “He’s their top target & they are pushing a lot. The player wants Arsenal, he didn’t listen to offers from Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayer Leverkusen.”
“At this moment, there’s no deal yet with Bologna because the price of Calafiori has changed a lot. Before UEFA Euro 2024, he had a price of €30 million to €35 million. After his performances for Italy, Bologna are asking for €50 million and Arsenal feel that’s too much.”
“Arsenal are willing to spend one million euros to two million euros more, but not €10 million more, so the pace of the deal is on standby, but with the will to arrive at an agreement in the next few days. Bologna are trying to get more possible money but they can’t afford to keep the player, so the move is only a matter of time.”
🚨 @DiMarzio: “At this moment, Arsenal’s priority is to find an agreement with Bologna for Riccardo Calafiori. He’s their top target & they are pushing a lot. The player wants Arsenal, he didn’t listen to offers from Chelsea, PSG & Bayer Leverkusen.”
“At this moment, there’s no… pic.twitter.com/Nvjh3oTOnc
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 18, 2024
Calafiori had a solid 2023-24 season, playing 37 total games for the Serie A side, scoring twice, and providing five assists.
