Serie A side Bologna will entertain transfer offers for star player Riccardo Calafiori amid reports linking him with Arsenal and Chelsea.
A standout campaign for the Rossoblu in which the club qualified for the Uefa Champions League for the first time ever has put the centre-back in the spotlight this summer.
The 22-year-old’s performances saw him break into the Italian national team, for whom he impressed at Euro 2024 despite the Azzurri’s round of 16 exit at the hands of Switzerland last week.
Thiago Motta, who left Bologna to take charge of Juventus this summer, is keen to reunite with the defender, while Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur also have Calafiori on their radar.
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Arsenal may have stolen a march on their rivals, having ‘made contact’ with Bologna over a possible deal, according to Football Transfers.
The Italian outfit’s technical director, Giovanni Sartori, would rather not sell Calafiori but says the club will listen to offers.
Bologna stance on Calafiori transfer:
“I can confirm that we will consider proposals for Riccardo Calafiori. It’d be fantastic to keep him but we have to be realistic,” said Sartori, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
“In case of good a proposal, we will discuss that; and we anticipate clubs from abroad to move.”
The Serie A side are set to demand a fee of around £40m and Bologna will owe Calafiori’s former club Basel a significant portion of the profit made on his £5m arrival last summer.
The centre-back has excelled since moving inside from full-back and ranked sixth in Serie A last season for percentage of aerial duels won and interceptions, while scoring twice and providing five assists.
Chelsea are exploring several left-sided centre-back options despite already possessing Levi Colwill and Benoit Badisahile in their first-team squad.
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