‘99% sure!’ – Arsenal given SHOCK Calafiori update

Robin Bairner

Updated: 19 Jul 2024 18:43 BST
3 min read

Arsenal’s move for Bologna centre-back Riccardo Calafiori has broken down at the last minute, with the deal for the Italy Euro 2024 star virtually over.

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The Gunners have been chasing 22-year-old centre-back Calafiori for weeks, accelerating to seal a move following the player’s outstanding performances at the European Championship with Italy.

Personal terms with the player were agreed, yet there has been a last-second hitch in the transfer, which is now “99%” over, according to Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Michele De Blasis.

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Current ETV

R. Calafiori

D (CL)

Bologna

R. Calafiori

D (CL)

Bologna

ETV Range

€12.9M - €21.5M

Arsenal have been unable to agree a transfer fee with Bologna for the player, with the Serie A club demanding €50 million for a central defender with an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €17.2m.

Jakub Kiwior was thrown in as a potential makeweight in the deal, but the Poland international was reluctant to leave the Emirates, blocking this possibility.

De Blasis, meanwhile, has revealed why Arsenal refused to match Bologna’s valuation of Calafiori.

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“The negotiations between Arsenal and Bologna for Calafiori are 99% surely over,” the transfer news expert reported via X.

“The Gunners don’t want to spend €50m on a player they don’t consider physically fit.

“On 20 July, he will return to Emilia and leave with the squad on a training camp.”

Calafiori had also been linked with a move to Juventus, but unless the Turin side matches Bologna’s asking price, this deal also seems improbable.

Bologna CEO Claudio Fenucci effectively confirmed this on Wednesday as he said: "There's no news on an Arsenal bid. Juventus? I haven't heard them."

Arsenal’s alternatives

Arsenal are already looking at other possible options to the centre-back, with Bournemouth’s Ilya Zabarnyi one of the players who is being studied as a potential alternative.

The Cherries, meanwhile, would only be willing to sell the Ukraine international for a fee greater than €50m, though his ETV is €44.6m – making him better value than Calafiori.

Furthermore, Zabarnyi is naturally right footed, with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta thought to be primarily targeting someone capable of featuring on the left.