There are many big clubs who haven’t made a real move this summer transfer window, and Arsenal are certainly one of them. Perhaps that changes soon, as there are a lot of players who have been linked to the North London club. Today we’ll cover the man who might be the next addition, in Riccardo Calafiori.
We’ll also provide an update on the potential exit of fringe player Albert Sambi Lokonga.
??? Arsenal and Chelsea remain both interested in Riccardo Calafiori, as revealed last week.
Both clubs have explored conditions of the deal, expensive as Basel will get almost 50% of the fee.
?? Calafiori gave green light to Juventus but Bologna preference is to sell abroad. pic.twitter.com/D2MAJvaxoo
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 2, 2024
Let’s start Calafiori, an Italian center back for Bologna. The club’s technical director, Giovanni Sartori, admitted that they are open to offers for him, but they’ll do their best to try and hang on to him.
Sartori admitted the 22-year-old could leave in a future transfer window, but also said they won’t sell to Juventus.
“There is talk of Juventus but also of many other teams,” Sartori said to Sky Sports Italia (h/t Evening Standard)
“At this moment we will try to keep him. If important offers were to arrive, we will have to think about it.
“I am not saying that we will sell him because the president has said that he wants to keep the whole team, but we will certainly make some evaluations.
“I do not think he will go to Juventus, he will probably go in a different transfer window, but I repeat that we would like to try to keep him.”
In addition to Juventus, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham are all also interested.
Moving on to Lokonga, CaughtOffside is one of many publications reporting that he’s verbally agreed to personal terms with Sevilla.
The Belgian midfielder will likely join on an initial loan, but the two clubs will discuss terms of an agreement that would include a clause to potentially make the deal permanent.
Arsenal are looking to include a mandatory buy clause for the 24-year-old in the deal.
Meanwhile Sevilla are hoping to keep the permanent purchase option more flexible. Lokonga spent the past season out on loan at Luton Town, where he played impressively.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.