Arteta’s led Arsenal is working hard to strike a deal with Bologna and their star defender Riccardo Calafiori.
The summer transfer window has been open for a couple of weeks now and Arsenal is trying their best to strike a deal with a sensational defender. For the past week, the Gunners are keeping a keen eye on Serie A star Riccardo Calafiori. The latter is all set to move out of the Italian league.
Earlier, reports indicated that Arsenal has the ‘most concrete interest’ in signing the 22-year-old.
Now more reports flood in and according to Corriere dello Sport, Bologna rejected Arsenal’s €47m offer to sign Calafiori. The report also included that the side was unconvinced with the money offered by the Gunners. Further, it also mentioned that they expect Arsenal to return with a more convincing deal upfront.
Later that day only, Di Marzio made a statement saying that Arsenal made a better offer for the deal. Marzio didn’t reveal the exact amount but he claimed that the deal has put Arsenal on the front row for signing Calafiori. He also added that the next few days are going to be highly important for striking the deal.
Arsenal improved the offer
Many other clubs including the likes of Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen, and Juventus are also in the hunt for Calafiori. So Mikel Arteta’s side needed to act fast and it is believed they did.
TuttoMercatoWeb gave us more insight into the deal.
As stated above, the initial offer of €47m by Arsenal was already turned down by Bologna.
The report now claims that Arsenal was quick to come back increasing the offer by €3m. According to the claims, this new offer has ‘satisfied’ Bologna and the Serie A side has ‘said yes’ to the offer. Furthermore, Calafiori is also stated to be ‘convinced’ by the deal brought to the table by Arsenal.
Lastly, the report claimed that the defender ‘could soon sign’ for Arsenal and ‘everything could be defined this week’.
What Calafiori brings?
The 22-year-old’s stats speak for themselves if nothing else. His performance in Bologna is a testament to his position as a central defender. However, it can be argued that Serie A is not as competitive as the Premier League, but one cannot ignore how good the numbers are for this ‘sensational’ center-back.
Calafiori made 37 appearances for the Bologna side in which he scored two goals and provided five assists. He also completed 90% of successful passes for the side. Further, it is important to note that Calafiori plays on the front foot. This would help Arsenal control the game and put pressure on the opposition.
He also registered an impressive 1.7 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, and 2.5 clearances per league game. Moreover, the Italian made on average 6.5 ball recoveries and gave outstanding aerial challenges winning 71% of his aerial duels during his time in Serie A.
Finally, one thing is for sure. Arsenal should grab the opportunity if it came to get Riccardo Calafiori even at £50m. The duo of him and Saliba would provide an even better defensive record to the Gunners for the next season.
Source: sportwitness.co.uk
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