Deal to take player to Arsenal ‘not at risk’ – Gunners can unblock negotiations ‘at any moment’

On Monday, we covered claims from Italy that Arsenal are expected to sign Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori in the next 24-48 hours.

That didn’t happen, and TuttoBolognaWeb reported yesterday that the Gunners haven’t yet agreed a deal with Bologna.

Calciomercato claim the defender, who is on a holiday in the Maldives, is eagerly waiting to find out when he can join Arsenal.

He received interest from other clubs but has decided to join the north London club, partly because of Mikel Arteta and his style of football.

The Italy international’s agent, Alessandro Lucci, has agreed a five-year deal worth €4m per year with Arsenal.

Now they have to find an agreement with the Serie A side, who are requesting €50m. Bologna will also have to pay 40% of the fee to Calafiori’s former club FC Basel.

The negotiations between the two clubs are complex because they have to agree on the fixed fee, bonuses, percentage on the future sale and the payment method, and Arteta’s side would need time to sort these out.

Despite the complexity, Calciomercato claim the deal to take the centre-back to Arsenal is ‘not at risk’, and add that the operation can be ‘definitely unblocked at any moment’.