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Why Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori deal has stalled amid Bologna transfer fee issue

simon collings
·2-min read

Arsenal target Riccardo Calafiori has been asked to attend pre-season training at Bologna next week, with the two clubs still apart in their valuation of the Italy defender.

Bologna want at least £42million for Calafiori but reports in Italy say Arsenal are currently more than £8m short of that price tag.

Basel are due 50 per cent of any transfer fee Bologna receive for Calafiori as part of a sell-on clause in the deal that saw him return to Italy last summer, which is among the reasons why the Serie A club are driving such a hard bargain.

Arsenal want to sign a left-footed defender this summer and the 22-year-old has emerged as a key target.

Calafiori is keen on a move to Emirates Stadium and is attracted to the idea of working under Mikel Arteta.

He has been on holiday in the Maldives after representing Italy at Euro 2024, but is due to begin pre-season training with Bologna next week. The Rossoblu are heading to South Tyrol in the north-east of Italy for a training camp ahead of the new campaign.

Arsenal are themselves due to head on tour this weekend when they will fly to America for friendlies against Bournemouth, Liverpool and Manchester United.

The Gunners have already been working hard and Arteta held a warm-weather training camp in Marbella last month with a group of first-team players.

They are now working back at their main base at London Colney as they prepare to travel to the US.

Arsenal fly out on Sunday and, due to players being absent because of the Copa America and Euros, the door has been opened for youngsters to make the travelling squad.

Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are two of the brightest prospects from the Arsenal academy and will hope to make the cut after training with the first-team this week.

Arsenal will welcome back players at different stages of pre-season due to the Copa America and Euros, but Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, David Raya and Declan Rice are not due to tour after reaching the final of Euro 2024.