Arsenal‘s deal for Bologna‘s young left-back Riccardo Calafiori appears to be getting closer as his ex-girlfriend seems to confirm the move on social media.
On Friday, Bologna’s sporting director, Claudio Fenucci, confirmed the stalemate between Arsenal and Bologna was ongoing, stating, “There is no news from Arsenal,” indicating the Gunners had not budged from their initial offer. Arsenal’s bid, reportedly in the region of €45 million plus bonuses, was said to fall short of Bologna’s €50 million valuation.
Fast forward 24 hours and Fabrizio Romano is now reporting that a €40m fee plus €5m in add-ons has been agreed.
What changed is still not clear at the time of writing.
Initially, the main problem with the deal stemmed from a sell-on clause in Calafiori’s contract. When Bologna acquired the 22-year-old defender from Basel last year, the Swiss club inserted a clause entitling them to 50% of any future transfer profit. This means that if Bologna were to sell Calafiori to Arsenal a substantial portion would go to Basel, significantly reducing Bologna’s net profit.
This financial complication prompted Bologna to take a hardline stance in negotiations. They were initially unwilling to accept Arsenal’s lower offer, which would have left them with a smaller profit margin after paying Basel their due.
Calafiori remains keen on a move to Arsenal and is attracted by the prospect of working under Mikel Arteta. He has also reportedly agreed a five-year deal with the club. The Italian defender, who impressed during his first year with Bologna last season, sees Arsenal as the ideal platform to further his career.
Now that the two clubs have found an agreement, all that is left is for Bologna and Basel to agree the terms for payment of the sell-on clause.
It seems like it is now only a matter of time before Calafiori becomes an official Arsenal player, especially is this post by his ex-girlfriend, Benedetta Boeme, is anything to go by:
calafiori’s ex girlfriend as just announced that he is joining arsenal LOOOL?
Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal
HERE WE GO🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/mupeIGFEtP
— 🧏🏾 (@HawkesM08) July 20, 2024
It reads, “Many of you have been asking what’s been going on in my life lately, so I decided to finally share it with you. Riccardo and I are no longer together at the moment. I don’t know if we will get through, but I doubt it. I needed some time to process everything that happened over the past 3-4 days. I still need time.
“Thanks to everyone who showed me the video circulating on TikTok this week. I appreciate it; it was important for me to know the truth. I’ve watched it countless times, searching for a reason to forgive and forget, but I couldn’t.
“We talked about it, but I am still uncertain of the answers to my questions.
“It was a difficult decision, one we were considering for days. Neither of us wanted this, but what’s done is done and I can’t help it but want to run away from all this.
“I will not tolerate any kind of hate towards me or him. I wish him all the best as he joins Arsenal. He has all my support.
“And if any of my followers feel they don’t want to continue following me now that he’s not around, feel free to unfollow. Thank you for understanding.”
Boeme, however, says that this is not her account and someone is impersonating her.