Riccardo Calafiori of Bologna is edging closer to joining Arsenal, with club-to-club talks now advanced and no issues on personal terms.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Riccardo Calafiori has given Arsenal the green light to negotiate his transfer with Bologna, and club negotiations are now underway.

Romano claims there are no issues on Calafiori’s contract terms, and it’s just a matter of finding an agreement between the two clubs.

As it stands, Arsenal are ahead of Chelsea in the race, with the Blues yet to make a bid.

Ryan Taylor reports for the Mirror that Arsenal are advancing in negotiations, despite Italian sources suggesting the Gunner have already seen an opening verbal offer rejected.

The two clubs are now thought to be close to reaching a deal, with Arsenal having already presented Calafiori’s representatives with an ambitious project.

Yet Taylor adds a word of warning that nothing is done yet, with Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen, and Paris Saint-Germain all having shown interest in the player.

Over in Italy, the media are growing increasingly confident that a deal is on the verge of going through.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football-Italia) claim Calafiori is set to join Arsenal in a €53m (£44.9m) transfer, signing a five-year deal worth €4m a season (£3.4m, £65,000 per week).

Il Corriere dello Sport claim the fee that Bologna will accept is closer to €55m (£46.6m), but they otherwise agree.

Up to 50% of the transfer fee will end up going to Calafiori’s former club Basel, which is partly why Bologna are pushing for such a significant fee.

The deal isn’t done yet, but it’s looking increasingly likely that it’s just a matter of time.