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After years of high-volume recruitment, fans are holding their breath to see who will be the first star name to leave this Arsenal process. No one suspected it would be Riccardo Calafiori.
Reports cast him as the primary defensive target for Real Madrid this summer while, on his YouTube channel, sports journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Los Blancos made contact weeks ago to see if he is available.
One would think that their interest was laughed out of the room: there is no suggestion of the player angling for an exit, he is a key part of the Gunners’ title-winning squad (and league-best defene) and the club is set to post the highest annual revenue ever recorded by a British football team, according to Mundo Deportivo; in order words, Arsenal hardly need the cash.
José Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid could see the Spanish giants prise Riccardo Calafiori from Arsenal
But if any team could test the waters, it is Real Madrid, and a move became somewhat more feasible on Sunday when Florentino Pérez was re-elected as club president. His win means the appointment of José Mourinho is now a formality and the Portuguese knows Calafiori from their shared time at AS Roma, meaning there is every chance he will push for a deal.
Perhaps it is no surprise that Mourinho wants this move. He built his most successful, iconic sides on a strong defense and will have his work cut out for him to forge another in Madrid, with David Alaba and Dani Carvajal both leaving Los Blancos at the end of this month.
Naturally, then, he would turn to one of the best defense in world football for a solution, eyeing up a former player – one who is prone to injury – as thus being easy prey that Arsenal might just be willing to part with for the right price.
And there is indeed a right price for Calafiori, though it is likely to be seven digits long given he is still under contract until July 2029. N5 is the place to be right now and it would take a monumental effort to force Arsenal into a sale.
It seems the Special One lost his touch when he sold Calafiori in 2022 for just £1.5m and wants to set things right via the special touch that comes with a phone call from Real Madrid; expect more laughs from the Gunners’ boardroom.
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