Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed why Arsenal have not made headway in the pursuit of Italy and Bologna full-back Riccardo Calafiori. According to Romano, the deal is stuck because Arsenal and Bologna have not yet reached an agreement on the fee structure.
Serie A outfit Bologna will not sell Calafiori for cheap. They are well aware of the demand for the player they have at their disposal and have a long-term contract — until June 2027 — with him. This means they are in complete control of the deal and can get away with asking for a massive sum for the defender.
Fabrizio Romano Claims Arsenal Do Not Have Fee-Structure Agreement With Bologna
According to Romano, Bologna want Arsenal to pay a cool €50 million ($54.66 million) for Calafiori. They need said substantial fee to see sizable profits from the deal, as the player’s former club FC Basel will receive 50% of the sell-on fee. Bologna also want the money upfront to give Basel their cut right away.
The Gunners are reportedly open to paying €50 million ($54.66 million) for Calafiori. However, they are not willing to pay it all upfront. Mikel Arteta’s side want to stretch out the payments using add-on clauses. Due to the disagreement over the fee structure, Calafiori’s future now hangs in the balance.
Shedding light on the matter in his Daily Briefing column for CaughtOffside, Romano said:
“I know Arsenal fans are keen for an update on Riccardo Calafiori, but there are no substantial changes to the situation yet. Arsenal and Bologna remain in contact but there’s no agreement over the €50m fee.
“The issue is that Bologna want guaranteed money while Arsenal’s proposal includes add-ons structure to get to €50m potential fee. Despite what has been suggested elsewhere, there’s no ‘issue’ with Basel: they will receive 50% of the deal, that’s it. Bologna want €50m fixed exactly because they have to give over €20m to Basel, this is the point.”
He concluded by adding:
“Let’s see if the clubs can reach a breakthrough in talks soon, but for now there isn’t really any major development to report.”
Calafiori, who impressed for Italy in EURO 2024, has only been at Bologna for one season. In the 2023-24 campaign, he played 33 games for the club in all competitions, scoring twice and providing five assists.
