Arsenal Complete £42M Transfer for Italian Defender Riccardo Calafiori

Arsenal have completed the signing of Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna for a transfer fee that could rise to £42 million, including add-ons. The 22-year-old, who started Italy's three group matches at Euro 2024, has agreed to a five-year contract with Mikel Arteta's team.

Calafiori has joined his new teammates in Philadelphia following the transfer. "I'm really happy to be here," Calafiori said. "I waited a lot. I hope we are going to do something great this season."

Calafiori, who can play as a central defender or left-back, and has also featured as a left winger, spent one season at Bologna. During the last Serie A season, he made 30 appearances, scored two goals, and provided five assists, contributing to Bologna's fifth-place finish and qualification for the Champions League.

Arteta commented, "Riccardo is a big personality and character, with specific skills which will make us stronger as we push to win major trophies." He 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. We're looking forward to working with Riccardo, integrating him into the squad, and supporting him in the years to come."

Calafiori was named Serie A's player of the month in May and earned all five of his senior Italy caps this summer. He began his senior career with Roma in 2020 and had a loan spell at Genoa before joining Basel in 2022. After a season in Switzerland, Bologna signed him for £3.3 million.

While at Bologna, Calafiori mostly played as a central defender under former coach Thiago Motta, who has since moved to Juventus. Juventus and Chelsea were also among the clubs linked with him.

At Arsenal, Calafiori could compete for a position with centre-back Gabriel or left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko. Arsenal are aiming to win their first Premier League title in 21 years after finishing second in the league for the past two seasons.

Additionally, Arsenal are set to sell midfielder Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham for an initial £27 million, with the potential for an additional £7 million in add-ons.