Arsenal ‘make first offer’ for Englishman with Gunners ‘about to prevail’ in Calafiori negotiations
Arsenal have made an offer for Ajax goalkeeper Tommy Setford with the England Under-20 international ‘keen on the move’, according to reports.
The Gunners have already completed a deal for one goalkeeper this summer with Arsenal choosing to turn a loan deal for David Raya into a permanent transfer for around £27m.
And now Mikel Arteta is looking to boost his goalkeeping ranks again with the signing of Netherlands-born England Under-20 international Setford.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Arsenal have made their first offer for Setford with the young goalkeeper “keen on the move”.
Romano wrote on X: “EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal submit first proposal to Ajax for 18 year old goalkeeper Tommy Setford. Negotiations ongoing, Ajax sources see Setford as big talent but current deal expires in June 2025. England U20 GK keen on the move.”
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf gave some more details on Friday and said that Arsenal ‘made an offer of four hundred thousand euros and bonuses to buy’ Setford from Ajax.
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They claim that Setford ‘is not unwilling to move to Arsenal’ while he has the opportunity in north London to work with the same goalkeeping coach as he does on England Under-2o duty.
‘If Ajax keeps him to his contract until the end of the season, the club will receive the amount currently offered by Arsenal (four thousand euros) as training compensation, but without any bonuses.
‘Both clubs will continue to negotiate in the coming days, with Ajax trying to negotiate a higher amount. At the same time, a final attempt is being made to entice Setford to sign again.’
Some Arsenal fans have started to wonder why they have not made more progress on a deal to sign Riccardo Calafiori after seemingly having a deal wrapped up days ago.
But Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has calmed nerves by insisting that Arsenal are ‘about to prevail’ for the centre-back as his agent works ‘to smooth out the remaining gaps between the clubs’.
Di Marzio wrote on his website: ‘Arsenal and Bologna continue to negotiate an agreement for the transfer of Riccardo Calafiori . Juventus, Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen have also been interested in the player in recent months and weeks, but the English club is about to prevail.
‘The player’s agent Lucci is always pushing to find the right compromise between the parties. Bologna’s request is 50 million plus bonuses and the inclusion of a resale percentage.
‘Arsenal are currently offering 50 million (40 plus bonuses and a % on the future resale). The final agreement has not yet been reached, but the player’s agent, Alessandro Lucci , is currently working to smooth out the remaining gaps between the clubs. Basel has 50% of the future capital gain (which must be above 4 million, a figure that will be largely exceeded).
‘Calafiori convinced Arsenal after the excellent European Championship played with the Italian national team at Euro 2024, where he also provided the decisive assist for Zaccagni’s goal against Croatia that allowed the Azzurri to qualify for the round of 16.’
