Serie A team Bologna have rejected a £40 million bid from Arsenal to sign Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori.
The Arsenal side are keen on adding the 22-year-old defender to their squad ahead of next season, but the Serie A team are holding on to a high fee for the Italian.
The Bologna sporting director, Giovanni Sartori, revealed the club’s stance on the Italian defender, saying, “At this time, we will try to keep Calafiori. If important requests come, we will have to think about them. I do not say that we will give them because the president has exposed himself, saying that he wants to keep the whole team, but certainly some evaluations we will make.”
After Bologna signed Calafiori from Basel last season, they owed 40% of any transfer fee to his former club, FC Basel, by way of a hefty sell-on clause.
Arsenal’s interest in the player is no surprise because of his impressive performances in the Serie A with Bologna and the Euro 2024 with Italy national team.
He is an exceptional player with the ability to play as a left back and also as a centre back. Arsenal have a good relationship with Bologna in terms of transfers. Arsenal signed Takehiro Tomiyasu from the Serie A club in 2021.
The Gunners are not the only London team interested in signing the Bologna defender. Chelsea are also interested in the defender, and they want to sign him ahead of next season.
The Chelsea side could potentially pay more than Arsenal’s initial bid of £40 million to get the player to Stamford Bridge.
Who is Riccardo Calafiori’s girlfriend?
The Bologna defender is currently in a relationship with Benedetta Boeme. Boeme confirmed they were dating via a romantic image of both of them kissing on their Instagram page on June 21, 2023.
Since then, their love has been waving strong, with Boeme constantly sharing images of herself and Calafiori at the beach during the football holiday.
Calafiori’s girlfriend had shown the utmost support for the football career of his boyfriend. She was seen in the stands countless times, watching football matches.
Riccardo Calafiori’s age
He was born on May 19, 2002, in the city of Rome, Italy. Calafiori is currently 22 years old, with a height of 6 feet and 2 inches.
Riccardo Calafiori Stats
The defender made 129 appearances, scoring nine goals and creating 13 assists in all club competitions. He had received 25 yellow cards and two red cards so far in his career.
Out of the nine goals scored, one was for Basel, two for Bologna, one for AS Roma, and five for Roma U19.
He made his international debut for the Italy national team on June 4, 2024. Calafiori has failed to score a goal in five appearances for the country.
Riccardo Calafiori Contract with Bologna
He signed a four-year contract with Bologna on August 31, 2023. The contract will expire on June 30, 2027.
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