Riccardo Calafioli celebrates with Arsenal teammate Piero Hincapie (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
My colleague Simon Phillips recently covered the interesting story of Chelsea’s interest in Riccardo Calafioli, and I now have more information about the defender’s future at Arsenal.
We have heard that there is interest from Chelsea, but at the moment it doesn’t seem like a realistic deal for two reasons.
Firstly, Arsenal don’t seem to want to sell him to a rival, and secondly, Calafiori himself is understood to be in favor of a return to Italy if possible, and there is no lack of interest from Serie A for the former Bologna player.
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Chelsea’s interest in Calafiori is genuine, dating back to before his move to Arsenal, with the Blues also one of the clubs to sign the player in the summer of 2024.
Still, Chelsea will have to look elsewhere for a new defender. Nottingham Forest’s Murillo is widely known. As one of the team’s top targets in that area.
Riccardo Calafioli keen to return to Serie A
One interesting domino effect that could affect Calafioli’s future is the situation with Inter Milan facing the loss of Alessandro Bastoni to Barcelona.
Inter are looking for a replacement for Bastoni And industry sources have informed me that Calafioli is the one keen on the role.
Arsenal want to keep the 23-year-old, and although no progress has been made regarding his departure at the moment, he is likely to be a player to keep an eye on as the player himself wants more playing time.
“Calafioli is not pushing to leave Arsenal, but Inter feel it is a deal worth considering as he is behind Piero Hincapie in the pecking order this season,” a source told me. “He hopes to return to Italy someday and we cannot rule out the possibility of him returning this summer, albeit a little earlier than expected.”
Arsenal will want to have depth at the back, with Calafioli a useful option to fill in at either left-back or centre-back, but the Gunners have plenty of other names available in that department.
Arsenal could sell star this summer
This is not the first time we have heard of big names potentially leaving Arsenal this summer.
Fans will be eagerly awaiting transfer news of new players joining Arsenal, but that won’t be possible without raising money from sales, which cost the club so much last year.
Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White Although a player to keep an eye on, a good offer for Calafiori could probably be a smart move for the AFC.
Hincapie joins from Bayer Leverkusen on a permanent basis, but Arsenal also still have Miles Lewis-Skelly as an option at left-back, so the club may end up deciding that Calafioli is a player they can sign, but it is still far from a certainty and a good offer will be needed.
Inter are his main suitors at the moment, but Juventus and Napoli are also long-time fans of his.
