Arsenal may have gotten closer to COMPLETING Riccardo Calafiori deal as Inter Milan eye defender

Bence Bocsák

• 11 Jul 2024 16:30 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal are still in negotiation to sign Bologna's Riccardo Calafiori. The Gunners are keen to add a left-sided defender but agreeing a fee with Bologna has not been easy for the young Italian centre-back.

The stumbling block for Calafiori seems to be in the transfer fee. Bologna are demanding €50m for his services however that is a fee Arsenal are unwilling to match considering they have to be wary of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Those concerns could be alleviated if Arsenal were to sell a player as Football Transfers have written about previously. The club are keen to offload a left-sided defender before they bring in a new player.

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And that ambition could be getting closer with the latest reports suggesting Inter Milan have shortlisted Polish defender Jakub Kiwior as a potential target for the club.

According to FcInterNews, the Italian club have shortlisted Kiwior among a list of other candidates as a potential option to sign this summer with Inter very keen on signing a defender.

This could be music to Arsenal's ears. Kiwior may have only arrived back in January of 2023, but he hasn't quite established himself as a regular in the team and Arsenal would be open to selling him on a permanent transfer while his value is still relatively high.

Still only 24 years old, the Gunners will hope to get a significant fee for Kiwior who had showcased his talent in Serie A while lining up for Spezia.

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And in doing so, it seems Arsenal will also get a step closer to being able to close the deal for Calafiori, who is believed to be keen on coming to the Emirates.

Despite interest from other clubs in Italy and in the Premier League, Arsenal have convinced Calafiori of Arteta's project.

Now, the only thing that remains is agreeing a fee with Bologna as Arsenal look to get their first summer transfer wrapped up.