Arsenal face unavoidable Riccardo Calafiori issue as Mikel Arteta eyes £43m transfer gamble

Arsenal look set to wrap up their second summer transfer in the form of Riccardo Calafiori. David Raya became a permanent addition earlier this week following an excellent loan spell from Brentford last season with the Gunners choosing to activate the £27million buy option inserted into the deal.

As football.london has reported for the last few months, signing a midfielder is a priority for Arsenal. However, it looks as though Arsenal are focused on winning the transfer battle for Calafiori with several other Premier League clubs interested.

Real Madrid and Juventus have also been linked but a move to England looks likely for the 21-year-old. Bologna are currently in negotiations with Arsenal over a transfer fee, with €53 million (£45 million) said to be their asking price, with Calafiori having already given the green light to Arsenal.

Following an excellent last nine months, it is no surprise the Gunners are keen to wrap up the deal swiftly before any other interested suitors make their moves. An excellent season in Serie A, followed up by three dominant displays at Euro 2024 with Italy has seen his stock rise significantly.

Calafiori also surprisingly contributed to seven goals in the 2023/24 campaign, showcasing how good he can be in the attacking third. While it appears to be a dream signing to get that type of layer at such a price in this market, there is an issue both parties must be aware of.

If the versatile defender joins, he will likely face a challenging first few months with the partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes seemingly unbreakable. Jurrien Timber will also likely start the upcoming season at left-back with Ben White on the opposite flank.

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Therefore, Calafiori is facing quite the challenge to break into the starting XI with it very important his role in the squad is made clear to him by Arteta. However, Calafiori will likely still be handed plenty of minutes with Arteta adopting the Pep Guardiola approach of having several quality options in every position.