Arsenal handed £40m transfer blow despite 'concrete interest' claims in Euros 2024 star

Arsenal have been eyeing a potential move for Bologna and Italy star Riccardo Calafiori and while the most recent news suggests the Gunners are in fact showing the ‘most concrete’ interest in the defender, outside of Italy, the Serie A club have said their ‘will’ is to keep hold of the centre-back.

According to the Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, there are several clubs outside of Serie A which have expressed their interest in the centre-back but it is the attentions of Mikel Arteta’s side which are said to be undoubtedly the strongest.

The 22-year-old has been heavily praised for his performances at the ongoing European Championships - in which Italy were recently knocked out by Switzerland. While the former defender Gianluca Zambrotta described Calafiori as ‘extraordinary’, the Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano called the centre-back as ‘one of the best left-foot defenders available on the market.’ The transfer guru also added that Arsenal have made an enquiry to understand his situation this summer as they seek to bolster their defensive options ahead of another title-challenging season.

With attention in Calafiori mounting, the Bologna technical director provided an update on the defender’s potential future and told Calciomercato: “We took him 12 months ago so we’ll see what happens in he market but in our heads there is the will to keep him.

“We will try to keep him but if important offers arrive we will have to take them into consideration. I don’t think he will go to Juventus, he will probably go to a different market.”

Calafiori, who was labelled as ‘outrageously classy’, has also been enjoying the interests of Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli as well as Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Excelling under Thiago Motta at Bologna, Calafiori helped the Serie A side to finish fifth, qualifying for the Champions League. The club conceded only 32 goals in 38 matches and Calafiori’s performances were rewarded by his first call-up to a major tournament as he went on to represent Italy as they reached the last 16 of the Euros 2024 competition in Germany.