After a breakthrough, Arsenal have agreed a fee with Bologna for Riccardo Calafiori
and are now just one hurdle away from being able to bring him to England – but it is beyond their control.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Arsenal have finally found a breakthrough in club-to-club talks
with Bologna for their top defensive target after their pursuit of Calafiori seemed to stall in recent days.
Now, Arsenal have agreed a fee with Bologna for Calafiori,
who starred for Italy at Euro 2024 until their early elimination.
According to Romano, Arsenal are set to pay €40m for Calafiori, as well as €5m in add-ons. That equates to around £33.7m at first and £37.9m as a full package.
In addition to that payment, it’s been revealed that Arsenal will allow Bologna to have a sell-on clause for the 22-year-old. But a similar arrangement with his former club, Basel, is holding up the deal still.
Indeed, Bologna only signed Calafiori last year, bringing him back to Italy from Switzerland for €4m. As part of the deal, a 50% sell-on clause for Basel was planted.
No one could have seen coming just how much Calafiori would flourish over the 2023-24 season,
helping Bologna to their first-ever Champions League qualification, and how his value would increase accordingly.
Therefore, there is currently a bit of a tug-of-war going on between Bologna
and Basel about adjusting the amount that ought to be paid as part of the sell-on clause.
As things stand, in terms of the initial fee, Bologna would be banking just €20m for a player they are selling for €40m.
They are a bit reluctant about it, but talks between them and
Basel about a new structure have gone quiet from the Swiss side’s end.
That’s perhaps not too much of a surprise, given that a €20m windfall would be one of the
highest fees Basel has ever received for a player- and that could happen for a player they aren’t actively selling themselves.
Calafiori agrees on Arsenal terms – how will Arteta use him?
It’s just that stalemate, though, holding up Calafiori’s arrival for Arsenal. The left-footer, who was originally a full-back when he came through Roma’s academy, has already agreed personal terms with the Premier League club.
Calafiori is willing to sign a five-year contract at the Emirates Stadium, lasting until 2029.
He would still need to pass a medical to formalize his move to Arsenal, but for now, the focus is on whether Bologna and Basel can find a resolution to their part of the deal.
Should Calafiori complete his move to Arsenal, he would become their second summer signing,
but first new face, since their only incoming deal so far has been to convert David Raya’s loan into a permanent transfer.
Mikel Arteta’s plans for the 22-year-old remain to be seen. The Arsenal manager had one of the best center-back partnerships in the
Premier League last season with the right-footed William Saliba and the left-footed Gabriel Magalhaes.
It’s not out of the question that Arteta would deploy Calafiori in his original position of left-back, where his current options are limited.
With the way he has refined his game over the past year, though,
Calafiori would now be mirroring the kind of role Benjamin White occupies in the
right-hand side for Arsenal, rather than reverting to how he used to play earlier in his career.
Soon, Arteta might be able to consider those finer tactical plans,
but for now, it’s a case of waiting in anticipation for Bologna and Basel to break their deadlock.