Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has reportedly had scouts keep an eye on Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori at Euro 2024 ahead of a potential transfer.
Maresca only recently replaced Mauricio Pochettino as manager at Stamford Bridge, but one imagines he’ll be keen to put his own stamp on the squad he’s inherited, which struggled a lot last season.
Calafiori is seemingly one of the names on the Blues’ radar now, with Football Transfers reporting that the club’s new manager has had his scouts take a close look at the Italy international at the Euros.
The talented 22-year-old played for the Azzuri as they beat Albania in their opening game yesterday, and one imagines we’ll continue to see plenty of interest in him if he can follow up his strong season in Serie A with a big impact for his country at this summer’s big international tournament.
Calafiori would be a quality signing for Chelsea and a lot of other clubs, but Football Transfers perhaps make it clear how tricky a deal this could be.
The report notes that Juventus and Tottenham are also keen on Calafiori, who could cost around €40m, with Bologna not keen to sell.
As reported earlier today, CaughtOffside have been told that Spurs have been among the clubs to hold initial talks over signing Calafiori, but his preference is thought to be a reunion with former Bologna manager Thiago Motta at Juventus.
Calafiori may also be open to moving to the Premier League if that doesn’t work out, so perhaps there is still hope for Chelsea if Juve can’t quite afford the deal, or if Bologna push to avoid selling such an important player to another Italian club.
Chelsea already have Tosin Adarabioyo as a new defender but could surely benefit from another name coming in as well after a relative lack of impact from Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi.
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