A player who's been called "one of the best" in his league now thinks Arsenal are the best possible move for him this summer, and he believes that their style of play suits him perfectly.
Arsenal seal signing of Riccardo Calafiori for Arteta
The Gunners, after weeks of negotiations, have at long last sealed the signing of defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.
£24 million forward targeted by Ten Hag now set for talks to join Arsenal
His agent will sit down with Gunners officials.
ByEmilio Galantini
Fabrizio Romano shared news that Arsenal agreed a £34 million deal with Bologna to sign Calafiori, which includes an additional £4 million in add-ons and a sell-on clause.
The Serie A side have also been in discussions with FC Basel over the payment terms of the Swiss side's own 50 per cent sell-on for Calafiori, but it now appears the 22-year-old is set to join Mikel Arteta.
Statistics
Calafiori
Gabriel
Games
29
34
Goals & assists
7
4
Progressive carries
28
13
Pass accuracy
90%
89%
Tackles won
37
28
Interceptions
56
31
Aerials won
71%
55%
This has plunged Jakub Kiwior's future into doubt, as Calafiori will come in and essentially take his slot in the first team. Like Kiwior, the Italy international defender can play at both centre-back and left-back, with sporting director Edu Gaspar securing a very highly-rated upgrade.
Calafiori, who helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League last season, also stood out as one of Italy's best players at Euro 2024 and was a sore miss through suspension when the Azzurri crashed out to Switzerland in the Last 16.
With the central defensive ace secured, attention now turns to how Edu and the recruitment team can back Arteta further, ahead of a potential third-successive Premier League title race with Man City.
Arsenal are in the market for a new central midfielder as one key aim before deadline day on August 30, with Real Sociedad star Mikel Merino attracting their attention following his own exceptional Euro 2024 campaign.
The 28-year-old, who is now in the final year of his contract at Sociedad, has been widely tipped to leave the La Liga side and could be available for a cut-price fee of around £25 million.
Mikel Merino wants to join Arsenal as perfect destination
Spanish news outlet Noticias De Gipuzkoa have an update on their pursuit of the former Newcastle star, and it is an interesting one.
They write that Merino thinks Arsenal suit him perfectly and wants to join, coming after Arteta expressly requested his signing at London Colney. The Spaniard considers Arsenal his best possible landing spot, despite interest from Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and rivals Chelsea.
As a result of this, Arteta's side are described as the "best-placed" team in the race to sign Merino. The midfielder has starred for Sociedad over a few years now since departing Newcastle, making 45 appearances last term and bagging eight goals with a further five assists in all competitions.
Recruitment and performance analyst Marcus Bring has even called Merino "one of the best" players in La Liga previously, making this one to watch.