The £42m stalling Arsenal transfer deal Liverpool simply must storm in to hijack
The Gunners have hit a snag in their bid to sign a Euro 2024 star
Will they or won’t they? For weeks now, speculation has raged around the future of Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori. First, he was leaving Bologna for Juventus, and then he wasn’t. Then, he was supposedly on his way to Arsenal, and now... well, nobody really knows what is happening now.
The understanding was that the Gunners were rapidly closing in on a £42 million deal for the 22-year-old, who impressed immensely during his nation’s brief sojourn at Euro 2024. In recent days, however, the proverbial brakes have been pumped heavily, and now it would appear that any prospective agreement has come to a standstill.
According to various reports, the issue lies with Bologna, and in particular, a clause in Calafiori’s contract which guarantees 50% of any profits they make on his sale to former club FC Basel. Given the hefty price tag attached to the defender, the Serie A outfit could, therefore, stand to miss out on millions. As a consequence, they are said to be desperately trying to renegotiate with the Swiss side so as to ease the financial blow.
Alternatively, there are those in Italy who claim that they would prefer Arsenal to pay a greater portion of Calafiori’s fee upfront, rather than in various instalments and add-ons. Either way, Bologna have reached an impasse, and it is unclear as to how, or indeed if, it will be resolved any time soon.
But Arsenal’s stumbling block could prove to be another club’s platform. Calafiori is certainly not short of suitors, and to that end, this enforced period of hesitation in completing his move to the Emirates could open up just enough of an opportunity for a Premier League rival to swoop in and upset the apple cart.
More specifically, this is a deal that Liverpool should be all over like a rash. The Reds have been linked with the Italian already this summer, but looked as if they had missed out on taking him to Anfield. Now, they may have been afforded a second chance.
It is no grand secret that Arne Slot’s men are in the market for a new central defender. With Joel Matip leaving and Virgil van Dijk’s contract expiring next year, the need to recruit a reliable long-term successor has never felt more pressing. Calafiori could be exactly that player.
Composed in possession and unforgiving in the challenge, the versatile talent is capable of playing in the centre or out on the left flank. As Liverpool have found out to their peril in the past, the value of having that kind of depth in defensive areas cannot be under-estimated.
It is rare for players as well-rounded as Calafiori to suddenly become available, rarer still for them to be the subject of a notable fumble in the transfer market. At £42 million, he is affordable, relatively speaking, and at 22, is only just entering the prime of his career. If the Reds act fast, and are willing to cough up a larger initial sum than Arsenal were, there is a very good deal here, just waiting to be hijacked.