The talks between Arsenal and Bologna for Riccardo Calafiori are stagnating. Without an acceleration in short order, the defender will report back to Emilia and start practicing under new coach Vincenzo Italiano in a matter of days.
Per Alfredo Pedullà, the Rossoblù aren’t budging from their request, which exceeds €50M factoring in add-ons. The two sides have tried to rope Basel into the negotiation to get a discount on the portion of the fee destined to them thanks to a resale clause. Their attempts have been in vain.
Calafiori has agreed to a long-term contract with €4M wages with Arsenal, while Bologna are holding firm after losing Joshua Zirkzee. At this stage, there are no traces of other teams entering the picture. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Serie A side asked for Jakub Kiwior. The Pole isn’t enthused by the destination. Per Corriere della Sera (via Tuttomercatoweb), Real Madrid could think about the Italian center-back after missing out on Lenny Yoro.
Even though the rapport with Juventus is frigid, the Emilian side met with Daniele Rugani’s agent. The Rossoblù have had deep conversations with Mats Hummels too. They might wait until they sell their ace before deciding which defender to onboard.
Our Take on Arsenal, Bologna, and Calafiori
The Felsinei are entirely comfortable taking sales to the later stages of the summer window to gain as much as possible. For instance, Jerdy Schouten left on August 16th and Nicolas Dominguez on deadline day last year. Plus, they have two solid starters to fall back on in the early rounds should they need it.
