It is the worst kept secret of the summer transfer window so far. Riccardo Calafiori will become an Arsenal player this summer.
The 22-year-old has been a target for the Gunners for much of the summer, impressing during Italy’s disappointing Euro 2024 campaign in Germany. He also enjoyed a fine 2023/24 season with Bologna, helping them qualify for the Champions League by finishing fifth in Serie A.
He has been seemingly on the verge of joining Arsenal for weeks, although that Euro 2024 campaign, his subsequent holiday and the fact the two teams were haggling over a price, with Bologna due to give a portion of the fee to former club Basel, holding it up.
Now though it seems we are only a matter of time away from official confirmation that the deal has gone through. Mikel Arteta has not been speaking about it, but the deal has even been bypassed in press conferences as having been done.
Arteta was asked on Friday night ahead of the meeting with Manchester United this weekend: “How important is it to keep strengthening the squad beyond Calafiori?” A question that brushes off the fact the deal has yet to be completed officially.
Arteta gave a wry smile before also ignoring the Calafiori aspect. He replied: “The full focus is trying to improve the guys. Getting the best out of them, getting the best version of them consistently so they can perform at the level we want. We know that there are certain parts in the squad that we’d like to improve, but it’s dictated by the market. At the moment, we have a great squad, it’s a great chance for the young players from the academy to be with us. It’s a joy to have them on tour with us.”
