Arsenal finally announced their first senior summer signing this week as the wait for a fresh face continues.
David Raya is now officially an Arsenal player after the club exercised the £27million option to make last season’s loan move from Brentford permanent. Lucas Nygaard – another goalkeeper – also arrived on a free transfer late last month after leaving Nordsjaelland and enjoying a successful trial in north London.
But with the Copa America and European Championship now at the quarter-final stage, the transfer market should soon start showing signs of life. football.london takes a look at the latest Arsenal updates.
Calafiori agreement reached
Arsenal have reportedly reached an agreement on personal terms with Riccardo Calafiori. The Italy international is said to have agreed a five-year contract.
Negotiations now continue with the player’s club, Bologna, over a transfer fee. They are requesting around £42million for the central defender, according to Fabrizio Romano, who acknowledges that no deal is done yet between the clubs.
Complicating the process is the 50% sell-on fee Basel are due for any fee over £4million. That is around what the Swiss club sold Calafiori for last summer, 12 months after signing the defender from Roma for £3million.
football.london says: “Arsenal appear to have asserted themselves as the frontrunners to sign Calafiori ahead of interest from Chelsea. The player impressed for Italy during the European Championship at centre-back but has played even more often as a left-back domestically.
“That may be where Mikel Arteta sees the defender starting alongside Gabriel Magalhaes. Doing so would give Arsenal an imperious backline of four 6ft-plus, with both full-backs capable of covering centrally. Compared to Ben White, Calafiori has played much more regularly at full-back, even debuting for Italy under Luciano Spaletti in that position earlier this summer before the tournament.
Zirkzee prioritising United
Joshua Zirkzee will reportedly rebuff any attempts by Arsenal as moving to Manchester United is now the player’s priority. Despite rumours linking the Netherlands international with the Gunners, United are said to be leading the race to sign Bologna’s striker.
They are reported to have agreed personal terms with Zirkzee, according to CaughtOffside , meaning they now only need to pay the player’s £34million release clause. AC Milan have also shown interest in the forward but have been unable agree a fee below that price with their Italian counterparts and have now turned their attention to other targets.
football.london says: “Arsenal’s apparent interest in Zirkzee always appeared opportunistic rather than because the forward is one of their top targets. The club had Benjamin Sesko at the top of their list earlier this summer and have a similarly long-standing interest in Alexander Isak.
“Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen have also been linked, with the Sporting striker someone the club have considered after scouting last summer. All of those options would cost at least double what Zirkzee goes for from Bologna, and the club will seemingly not skimp if they sign a striker despite it not being their priority this year.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
