Chelsea have reportedly offered an important contract to Bologna centre-back and Arsenal transfer target Riccardo Calafiori, according to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla.
See below as Pedulla has posted from his official account on X to provide an update on the situation surrounding Calafiori, who has been the subject of plenty of speculation in recent weeks…
Non solo #Arsenal ma anche il #Chelsea appostato da maggio per #Calafiori ? a maggior ragione se il muro tra #Bologna e #Juventus (rapporti tesi) non dovesse crollare. I Blues avevano già offerto ingaggio importante https://t.co/5HGE1MiHZs
— Alfredo Pedullà (@AlfredoPedulla) July 2, 2024
The Italy international will now be free to focus on his future after the Azzuri were knocked out of Euro 2024 by Switzerland, and it will be interesting to see if he chooses the Premier League for the next stage of his career.
Calafiori looks like he has a big future in the game and it would be exciting if that could be in English football, but it surely won’t be easy for Arsenal or Chelsea to get a deal done for the 22-year-old.
Chelsea seem to be stepping up their efforts with a big-money contract proposal, as per Pedulla, but we also spoke to reliable Arsenal journalist Charles Watts earlier today as he confirmed that the player is also aware of interest from the Gunners.
“Arsenal are interested in him and have expressed that interest. Bologna are aware of it and so is the player,” Watts said.
“Calafiori is seen as someone who could come in and strengthen Mikel Arteta’s defensive options this summer. But Arsenal know that there is widespread interest in him from other clubs, both in Italy and in the Premier League. So it will not be an easy deal to get done should Bologna agree to let him go.
“It is one to keep an eye on though as the summer progresses and there’s no doubt it would be an exciting signing for the Gunners should they be able to pull it off.”
He added: “At the moment there seems to be a bit of animosity between Bologna and Juventus, however, because of Thiago Motta’s decision to move to Turin, so Bologna are looking to make life as difficult as possible for Juventus as they look to lure Calafiori away as well.
“For Bologna, it is of course very beneficial to have Arsenal and Chelsea looking at the player as that could strengthen their hand when it comes to any future negotiations with Juventus.”
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