Real Madrid’s pivot from Riccardo Calafiori to signing Marc Cucurella may be explained by the fact that Arsenal were asking for £86m for the defender.
Real Madrid began the summer by making enquiries around the potential signing of Riccardo Calafiori from Arsenal, but the Spanish club ended up bringing in Marc Cucurella instead.
Whilst the ins and outs of Real Madrid’s pursuit of Calafiori remain unknown, a significant factor could have been that Arsenal were asking for £86m.
Aaron Morris reports for Football.London that Andrea Berta was asking for ‘at least’ £86m for Calafiori this summer, effectively ruling out the transfer.
In light of that price tag, Real Madrid officially confirmed the signing of Cucurella from Chelsea, on a six-year deal lasting to 2032.
David Ornstein had reported for The Athletic on Sunday that Real Madrid and Chelsea had reached an agreement for a fee of €55m (£47.5m) plus another €5m (£4.3m) in add-ons. Quite a bit less than the £86m Arsenal wanted.
Guillermo Rai added for The Athletic that Real Madrid are actually now overstocked at left-back, having Cucurella, Alvaro Carreras, Fran Garcia, and Ferland Mendy.
Far from making another left-back signing, the most likely outcome is seemingly that the Spanish club make a sale in the position, with Garcia the favourite to depart.
This is all good news for Arsenal fans, who wouldn’t have wanted to see Calafiori leaving the club, and especially not in a cut-price deal. The fact Berta was playing hardball and ultimately keeping the defender around is good news on both counts.
- Former Gunner returns from injury ahead of October Arsenal matchChristian Norgaard has made his return to training with Everton, finally putting him in line to make his debut for his new club.
- The 4 Arsenal players up for Player of the MonthArsenal have nominated the four candidates for their September Player of the Month award, following four wins in five games for the team.
- Rival clubs want more than just relegation for Manchester CityRival clubs want Manchester City’s punishment decided this season, and they feel relegation to the Championship would be insufficient, according to reports.
- Arsenal remain interested in Bournemouth 23yo for 2027 moveAFC Bournemouth are set to hold onto Alex Scott until next summer, with Arsenal among three top Premier League clubs still interested in signing him.
- New reports unveil Arsenal’s failed £55.6m summer bidArsenal submitted a bid to sign Jarell Quansah from Bayer Leverkusen over the summer, according to a report.