Leonardo Bonucci 'sorry' as Juventus miss out on leading Arsenal target Riccardo Calafiori

Former Juventus and Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci is “sorry” the Old Lady may have missed out on the signing of Arsenal target Riccardo Calafiori.

Standard Sport understands the Gunners are keen on the Bologna star this summer, having identified him as a leading target in their bid to bring in a left-footed defender.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a brilliant season in Serie A as his club reached the Champions League for the first time in 60 years.

Calafiori also caught the eye during an otherwise underwhelming Euro 2024 campaign for defending champions Italy, providing the assist from which Mattia Zaccagni scored a dramatic late equaliser in the group stages against Croatia.

The defender is believed to be open to the move and recent reports suggest there has finally been a breakthrough in Arsenal’s talks with the Italian club.

Juve were also strongly linked with Calafiori and Bonucci, who retired from the game in May, has lamented the fact the Turin giants have appeared to have missed out.

Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, the 37-year-old said: “Calafiori? I'm sorry about his transfer. I would have liked to see him at Juventus.

“He's a defender who's a little different to what we're used to seeing. He plays, has personality and fits in. We're exporting' a great player who will be a point of reference for the national team for the next 15 years.”