Bologna are in talks to replace Riccardo Calafiori amid Arsenal transfer

Understandably, the excitement is building around the expected Riccardo Calafiori transfer to Arsenal. The Italy international is expected to join from Bologna, with all the signs pointing in the way of an Arsenal deal being struck. In fact, Fabrizio Romano even claimed there are "no doubts" about Riccardo Calafiori becoming an Arsenal player recently.

Furthermore, David Ornstein also claimed that if all goes to plan, Riccardo Calafiori could link up with the Arsenal squad in the USA to be a part of their upcoming pre-season tour, which kicks off on Thursday against Bournemouth.

Now, all that Arsenal fans are awaiting is the official confirmation. Such is the nature of Arsenal as a club, it wouldn't come as a surprise if it took them all summer to officially announce Calafiori as an Arsenal player, as a similar thing happened with Declan Rice last summer. That said, things have moved a lot quicker with Calafiori and the player has pushed for the move all the way.

Bologna are in talks to replace Riccardo Calafiori amid Arsenal transfer

In case Arsenal fans needed any more reassurance about the deal happening, they can take some further comfort in Bologna's recent transfer activity. According to Sky Sports Italia, Bologna have been in contact with the Borussia Dortmund legend Mats Hummels, who is now a free agent after his contract expired this summer, about a potential deal.

Hummels would be a direct Calafiori replacement. It is worth noting, on that note, that Mats Hummels is also receiving interest from Real Madrid, so talks seem to be delayed between Hummels and Bologna. Having spent his entire career in the Bundesliga, Hummels is thought to be assessing all options for his future, before making any drastic decisions which could affect him later down the line.

In recent history, Arsenal have built a positive relationship with Bologna in the transfer window. They also signed Takehiro Tomiyasu, meaning Riccardo Calafiori would be the second Bologna defender signed by Arsenal in recent history.

Bologna have been nothing but transparent in this transfer pursuit. Not only have they respected Arsenal by making their demands clear to not waste any time, but they have also been respectful to the player by appreciating his transfer request and not standing in the way of his dreams. By every stretch of the imagination, Riccardo Calafiori will be in safe hands when he joins Arsenal.

Arsenal fans hope that the loss of one of their best players will not derail Bologna from their exciting project too much. In fact, hopefully whoever they bring in hits the ground running immediately.

Do you think Riccardo Calafiori will be a hit at Arsenal?