The source confirmed that the problems between Bologna and Basel have been resolved. And thanks to that, Arsenal have finally recruited center-back Riccardo Calafiori. Soon, this 22-year-old center back will fly to the US instead of England to undergo a medical before signing an official contract.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calafiori set to sign permanent deal with Arsenal

According to expert Romano, Calafiori has agreed a 5-year contract with Arsenal, receiving a salary after tax of 3.5 million pounds. This central defender is considered an important piece for Arsenal to continue the race for the Premier League title.

 

At the EURO 2024 finals , Calafiori was a rare bright spot for the Italian national team. Thanks to his intelligent playing style and good ability to launch attacks, Calafiori was dubbed the “new Maldini” of Italian football . Previously, Calafiori’s transfer had encountered certain problems.

According to British media, Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle with Bologna to sign Calafiori for an initial fee of £34 million, with £4 million in add-ons. However, a dispute has broken out between AS Roma and FC Basel, Calafiori’s two former clubs.

Calafiori moved from AS Roma to Basel in the summer of 2022 for £2.1 million. In the transfer deal, AS Roma included a 40% sell-on clause, meaning they would receive 40% of any future Calafiori transfers.

In the summer of 2023, Basel sold Calafiori to Bologna for £3.4 million. From this transfer, AS Roma received around £1.3 million under the agreed resale clause. However, the matter was further complicated by the fact that Bologna were about to sell Calafiori to Arsenal for a much higher price.

Under the agreement between Bologna and FC Basel, the Swiss club will receive 50% of the profits from Calafiori’s sale to Arsenal. This means Basel will receive a huge sum of money, which is around £17 million but could rise to £19 million.

The problem arose when AS Roma believed they were also entitled to a share of the profits. It took a long time for the parties to settle before Arsenal completed the deal. Thus, in three consecutive summers, in 2022, 2023, and 2024, Riccardo Calafiori changed clubs.