Next week, Arsenal is anticipated to complete the signing of Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori, a promising defender. Sports writer Fabrizio Romano claims that Arsenal and Bologna have recently held additional talks to finalize the agreement. Calafiori and Bologna have already reached an agreement with the North London club, and the transfer procedures should be finished shortly.
Over the past year, Calafiori, an AS Roma academy product, has seen a notable increase in performance. After rejoining Bologna in Serie A, he played in 33 games and scored seven goals in his first full season there. Even though the team didn’t live up to expectations, he was still selected for the Italian national squad for Euro 2024 because of his steady performances. Several elite European clubs have expressed interest in Calafiori due to his impressive performances.
Upon his return from vacation, the 22-year-old defender told Bologna’s management that he wanted to transfer to a bigger team. Though early reports indicated that Calafiori might remain in Italy, he is now expected to sign a Premier League contract with Arsenal.
For a while now, Arsenal has been actively seeking to sign Calafiori. The player and the club have reached a personal agreement for a five-year contract. Additionally, a transfer fee of €40 million was recently finalized with Bologna, with an additional €5 million in performance-related add-ons. Calafiori has three years left on his contract with Bologna, but they have secured a sell-on clause for him.
While Arsenal and Bologna are in agreement regarding the terms of the transfer, there are a few small issues that still need to be worked out. Romano claims that one of these is settling the sell-on clause’s payment schedule with FC Basel, Calafiori’s previous team. Next week is when the player will have his medical exam and complete any necessary paperwork, at which point Calafiori will officially sign with Arsenal.
