Arsenal are closely monitoring the situation of Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori and are considering whether to join the race for the 22-year-old’s signature.
Telegraph Sport understands that Arsenal’s recruitment team has been impressed by Calafiori, who enjoyed an eye-catching European Championship with his national team.
The Bologna defender has been strongly linked with a move to Juventus and Arsenal are by no means the only team to have an interest in signing him.
Calafiori made 33 appearances for Bologna last season and earned his first call-up to the Italian national team earlier this year. Bologna enjoyed a fine campaign, finishing fifth in Serie A.
Calafiori played in all three of Italy’s group stage games at Euro 2024 but was suspended for the round of 16 knockout tie against Switzerland this weekend. Without him, Italy produced a limp performance and lost 2-0.
Giovanni Sartori, the technical director of Bologna, said “there is a will” to keep Calafiori at the club but admitted that they would consider any serious offers.
“There is talk of Juventus but also of many other teams,” Sartori said, as quoted by Italian media. “At this moment we will try to keep him. If important requests were to arrive we will have to think about it.
“I am not saying that we will sell him because the president has said that he wants to keep the whole team, but we will certainly make some evaluations.
“I do not think he will go to Juventus, maybe to a different market, but I repeat that we would like to try to keep him.”
If Arsenal do decide to move for Calafiori, it would raise further doubts over the future of Poland centre-back Jakub Kiwior at the club. Kiwior, who joined Arsenal from Spezia in January last year, has been consistently linked with a move back to Italy in recent months.