Arsenal Sign Italian Defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.
Arsenal have announced the signing of Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna for a fee that could rise to £42 million with add-ons. The 22-year-old, who featured in Italy’s three group matches at Euro 2024, has signed a five-year contract with Mikel Arteta’s team.
Calafiori has already joined his new teammates in Philadelphia and expressed his enthusiasm about the move. “I’m really happy to be here,” said Calafiori. “I waited a lot. I hope we are going to do something great this season.”
The versatile defender, who can play as a central defender or left-back, had an impressive season with Bologna, making 30 appearances in Serie A, scoring two goals, and providing five assists. His contributions helped Bologna secure a fifth-place finish and a spot in the Champions League.
Arteta praised the new signing, describing him as a “great signing” with a big personality and character. “Riccardo is a big personality and character, with specific skills which will make us stronger as we push to win major trophies,” Arteta added. “He has already shown great development in recent seasons with his performances for both Bologna and Italy, with his progression and development in the past year being really impressive.”
Calafiori was named Serie A’s player of the month in May and earned five senior caps for Italy this summer. He began his professional career with Roma, had a loan spell at Genoa, and played for Basel before joining Bologna for £3.3 million.
With Juventus and Chelsea also reportedly interested in him, Calafiori is expected to compete for positions with centre-back Gabriel and left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko at Arsenal. The Gunners aim to challenge for their first Premier League title in 21 years after finishing second in the past two seasons.
In related news, Arsenal are set to sell midfielder Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham for an initial £27 million, with potential add-ons amounting to £7 million.
