Arsenal missed out on massive Riccardo Calafiori transfer by just £2m

Italy have returned from EURO 2024, after being knocked out of the round of 16 by Switzerland. This means two great things for Arsenal - Firstly, Jorginho will return to the club for a full pre-season and secondly, they can now focus their attention on acquiring the services of Jorginho's international teammate, through the way of a Riccardo Calafiori transfer.

Arsenal are known to be interested in signing Riccardo Calafiori. The Bologna defender was one of the standout performers in the EURO 2024 group stage with Italy, proving to be one of their best players.

He is an aggressive defender, one who is not afraid to put his body on the line. This could certainly benefit Arsenal, who already have some pretty strong defenders in Gabriel and William Saliba.

Arsenal missed out on massive Riccardo Calafiori transfer by just £2m

According to a new report by Corriere dello Sport, Arsenal have tried (but unfortunately failed) to sign Riccardo Calafiori recently. The Italian outlet claims that Arsenal offered £40m to Bologna to sign Calafiori, however, the Serie A club turned down this offer.

That said, Arsenal are believed to be just £2m away from Bologna's valuation, so this could be the fine margin which Arsenal must meet to sign him.

Of course, this seems like a no-brainer. In today's economy, particularly for a rich Premier League club like Arsenal, £2m is a minimal difference for a top quality player like Calafiori. Therefore, they must meet the difference to sign him. However, there are other factors at play here.

As mentioned, Arsenal already have two world-class centre backs and it would take a lot to dislodge the partnership. Gabriel and William Saliba have been two bricks at the back for Arsenal in the last few seasons, so this should surely only continue given their young age.

However, Mikel Arteta is a big fan of versatile defenders, so perhaps he envisions playing Riccardo Calafiori at left-back. After all, the Italian already played in that position last season, so he has experience. Besides, all the depth possible will be invaluable for Mikel Arteta.

Furthermore, there is interest from Chelsea. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea would like to sign Calafiori with a different approach, where they plan to include a player as part of the deal. While Arsenal remain the favourites, Chelsea could always swoop in.

Do you think Arsenal should sign Riccardo Calafiori?