Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal are already 'in contact' with next transfer target after Riccardo Calafiori deal

Arsenal have already made contact with their next target after securing the signing of Riccardo Calafiori, according to a report. The Gunners have spent the last few weeks negotiating with Bologna over a deal to sign Italy international Calafiori, eventually agreeing on a £42million fee.

Gunners chief Edu said upon confirming the deal: “It has been a great team effort in completing this transfer and we welcome Riccardo to the family. We identified Riccardo as part of our strategy to sign players who fit our profile and will reinforce our squad to compete at the highest level. He is 22 but brings quality and experience. He will quickly grow into being an Arsenal player.

“Riccardo has consistently shown his quality for his club and country. He was one of the best players in Serie A last season, and gave strong performances for Italy in the Euros this summer. Mikel and our coaches are excited to start working with Riccardo, and we all look forward to seeing him in our shirt.”

With Arsenal off to a slow start in this window and needing to strengthen further in a bid to close the gap on Manchester City, they must quickly move on to their next potential transfers. Midfield appears to be the next area Arsenal will look to address, with more quality required alongside Declan Rice in the heart of midfield despite Mikel Arteta having Jorginho and Thomas Partey at his disposal.

Real Sociedad and Spain Euro 2024 star Mikel Merino appears to be the preferred option, with the midfielder available for between £20million and £25million due to having just one year remaining on his deal, and transfer ‘insider’ Fabrizio Romano claims the Gunners have already been in touch over a potential deal.

He told GiveMeSport: “Merino is one of the names they have on the list. In this case, there is no proposal on the table. But there is interest and they made some contact with the player’s side. The relationship is also good. Mikel Arteta used to follow Real Sociedad a lot as they have been playing very attractive football in recent years. He knows Mikel Merino very well.”

What Merino has said about a possible move

Merino said of transfer links earlier in the summer: “I've always said that any rumours about me are positive because it shows that Real Sociedad is doing things right. It's good to have players in the spotlight. But I don't give it much importance. My focus is on winning the European Championship, everything else is a distraction from the main goal."

He added: "I leave those matters to my agent, I don't pay attention to rumours. My teammates ask me about it, but I don't dwell on it. Until there's something concrete, I won't be bothered. The rumors will stay as they are."

Merino said of his time at Newcastle: “(It was) Very good. What marked me the most in Newcastle was the stadium, the fans. I think it was a unique life, feeling what St James’ Park is, I will always have it in my heart and mind because it is something unique. Get a ball in your area and people go crazy shouting as if you were about to score a goal, and I said ‘let’s see, there are 80 metres to there and they are 11 ahead. It is impossible for us to score a goal’. But people believed it and encouraged you to move forward.”