'Interest also from Arsenal': Fabrizio Romano now says Gunners want Euro 2024 star who's 'one of the best in the world'

06/27/2024 05:25 PM

Arsenal are likely to be busy on the transfer front in the coming weeks as they look to bolster their ranks ahead of a big 2024/25 campaign.

The Gunners have improved with each passing season that Mikel Arteta has been at the helm, but they will be desperate to go all the way in the Premier League title race next term.

As one of the biggest football clubs in the world, Arsenal have been linked with some top talents in recent months.

Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners have set their sights on a defender who is “one of the best in the world” at present.

READ MORE:Manager says 'very special' £21m Tottenham target would shine at Arsenal

Arsenal join Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea in Riccardo Calafiori chase

The player in question is Riccardo Calafiori, who plies his trade for Bologna and is representing Italy at Euro 2024.

Calafiori has been linked with a host of clubs in recent weeks, such as Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Now, Romano has reported that Arsenal are also in pursuit, though at present they are just monitoring him and haven’t made a move.

“There is interest from many clubs in England,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.

“Liverpool director Richard Hughes, when he was the director of Bournemouth, was tracking Calafiori, so they know the situation of the player well, but still not presented any bid to Bologna.

“There is interest also from Arsenal at the moment, not negotiations, interest in Ricardo Calafiori.

“Chelsea are (also) looking for a left-footed talented defender and Calafiori is one of the best in the world in this moment in terms of talents.

“And so Chelsea could keep a close eye to the situation too.”

Who is Arsenal target Riccardo Calafiori?

Riccardo Calafiori is a 22-year-old defender who plies his trade for Serie A club Bologna and represents Italy at international level.

Back in 2018, Calafiori was playing for Roma and was tipped to become a Giallorossi icon like Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi.

However, a horror tackle in a UEFA Youth League encounter left him with a serious injury that required him to go under the knife.

Calafiori underwent surgery and set about on the road to recovery. He went on to make 18 senior appearances for Roma before moving to Basel in 2022.

Just a year later, Calafiori returned to Serie A with Bologna, and he has gone from strength to strength, hitting the heights many backed him to reach when he was at Roma.

Now, the likes of Arsenal are reportedly looking to give him that big career move, and he shouldn’t break the bank either.

According to Football Italia, Bologna value him at €40-50million (£34-43million).