Arsenal wants to sign Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori. They will compete with Juventus to get him.
Arsenal scouts watched the 22-year-old at the European Championship, and were impressed by how well he played.
Calafiori played in all three of Italy’s group games, but was suspended for the round of 16. Italy lost that match to Switzerland and exited the tournament.
Juventus has also been interested in Calafiori for a while. The defender played 33 games for Bologna last season.
Bologna finished fifth in Serie A and will play in the Champions League next season. Calafiori’s good performances earned him a spot in Italy’s national team.
Bologna’s technical director, Giovanni Sartori, said the club would consider serious offers for Calafiori.
“There is talk of Juventus but also of many other teams. At this moment we will try to keep him. If important requests were to arrive we will have to think about it,” he said.
Arsenal will start their pre-season at the end of this month. They will travel to the US to play friendly matches against Manchester United and Liverpool.
