Arsenal eye Premier League star amid stalling Calafiori transfer

Tom Weber

• Updated: 19 Jul 2024 10:59 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal are interested in Ilya Zabarnyi, according to a report.

The Gunners are in the market for a central defender this summer and view Riccardo Calafiori as their priority target. The Italian, coming off a spectacular season with Bologna, didn't feature on Mikel Arteta's list of initial summer targets, but his Euro 2024 performances saw him surge right to the top of the pile.

Arsenal had moved quickly to agree personal terms with the 22-year-old, but the deal has now been stalling for some time. The negotiations are currently a three-club haggling contest between Arsenal, Bologna and Basel, who are owed 50 per cent of the transfer fee.

Talks between the clubs have been slow to progress, but the expectation, at least in Italy, is that a deal will eventually get wrapped up as all parties are keenly looking for a breakthrough, with Bologna needing to raise funds ahead of their big Champions League season.

However, Arsenal, it seems, are preparing for the eventuality of having to target a different player.

Arsenal eye Zabarnyi

According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal are interested in a potential summer move for Bournemouth youngster Ilya Zabarnyi. The 21-year-old has impressed on the South Coast and caught the Gunners' eye.

Bournemouth are naturally reluctant to sell, but it is claimed that they could be brought to the negotiating table with an offer in excess of €50 million. The report asserts that the Ukrainian could head to the Emirates in addition to Calafiori, but it seems for this to be possible, Arsenal will need to sell first.

Zabarnyi is a different profile of player to Calafiori. The latter is the ideal Arteta player and left-footed. Adding a left-sided player who can feature at both centre-back and left-back is the priority for Arsenal.

It seems unlikely that they will make a move for right-footer Zabarnyi, who is a more traditional centre-back, unless the Calafiori deal indeed collapses. Nevertheless, it is unsurprising that Arsenal would be interested in the 21-year-old given his significant upside.