Arsenal have now agreed a deal to sign Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.
As first reported by The Athletic on Wednesday, the Gunners are understood to have reached a total agreement with the Serie A outfit thought to be worth around £40million following weeks of negotiations.
A large percentage of that transfer fee is due to Calafiori’s previous club Basel, who are believed to have held their own talks with Bologna over recent days.
Calafiori is now set to agree personal terms with Arsenal and undergo a medical, with hopes that he will join up with Mikel Arteta’s squad on their pre-season tour of the United States, where Wednesday night’s opening game against Bournemouth in Carson, California is followed by a showdown with Manchester United in Los Angeles on Saturday evening and a concluding clash with Liverpool in Philadelphia next week.
Arsenal had been locked in negotiations with Bologna for weeks over the 22-year-old, who impressed for defending champions Italy before their shock last-16 exit at Euro 2024 this summer.
Manager Arteta was known to covet a versatile left-footed defender to help boost his squad ahead of another expected tilt at the Premier League title next season.
Calafiori is able to play either in the centre of defence or at left-back and - along with the likes of new Manchester United signing Joshua Zirkzee - was a key part of the Bologna side that finished fifth in Serie A last term and qualified for the Champions League under head coach Thiago Motta, who has since departed for Juventus.
Calafiori had been due to return to Bologna at the start of this week, though was omitted from their squad for a pre-season training camp as talks with Arsenal accelerated over the weekend.
His arrival in north London could lead to a summer exit for Polish left-back Jakub Kiwior, who is a transfer target for Inter Milan.
Jurrien Timber, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu can all play on the left side of defence for Arsenal along with Calafiori, plus highly-rated youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly.
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The Gunners remain interested in young Ajax defender Jorel Hato, having already signed teenage English goalkeeper Tommy Setford from the Dutch giants this month in a deal worth £1m.
Arsenal also turned David Raya’s successful season-long loan from Brentford into a permanent £27m arrangement and have been targeting another addition to their goalkeeping department after making an initial failed bid for Dan Bentley at Wolves.
A new midfielder and another forward will be Arsenal’s next priorities in the transfer market following the arrival of Calafiori, with Bologna linked with both Juventus’ Daniele Rugani and former Borussia Dortmund stalwart Mats Hummels as potential replacements.
