Arsenal make ‘new’ approach for Juve star after Spurs ‘fail’ as Ornstein confirms Calafiori is ‘set for medical’
Arsenal have made a fresh approach to sign Juventus winger Federico Chiesa after Tottenham failed to turn interest into negotiations, according to reports.
The Gunners have made one permanent signing so far this summer with David Raya completed a transfer from Brentford after impressing on loan last campaign.
But now the transfer window is about to ramp up for Arsenal with The Athletic journalist David Ornstein insisting that Bologna centre-back Riccardo Calafiori is ‘set for medical’ with ‘all agreements are now in place’.
Ornstein added: ‘The Italy international must still undergo medical checks and put pen to paper — however the deal itself is essentially done and if everything goes to plan, the 22-year-old can be expected to join Arsenal’s pre-season tour to the United States.’
Calafiori is set to provide competition for Mikel Arteta’s starting centre-back pairing of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, while the Arsenal boss is also reportedly looking to provide cover across his forward line.
And Arsenal are now in for Juventus winger Chiesa – who was mainly deployed as a central forward for Juventus last term – with the Italy international able to play through the middle or on either of the wings.
Reports in Italy (via Sport Witness) claim that ‘a turning point has arrived that could be decisive in his future’ with Juventus ‘waiting for the right offer’ to release the 26-year-old.
Chiesa ‘will most likely leave’ this summer as the Old Lady want to avoid losing him for free next summer when his contract at the Serie A side expires.
It is understood that ‘approaches’ from Chelsea and Tottenham ‘have not yet turned into negotiations’ this summer with Sport Witness calling it a ‘fail’ from Spurs.
Premier League side Arsenal ‘recently made a new survey for Chiesa’ with the Gunners apparently having ‘contacts with Juventus to understand the conditions of the possible Chiesa deal and now we have to see whether the move will materialise or not’.
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One striker Arsenal have been heavily linked with is Napoli’s Victor Osimhen but transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed the main interest is coming from Paris Saint-Germain.
Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “I keep being asked about the situation of Victor Osimhen – my information is that ten days ago PSG had the green light from Osimhen over a transfer, so he’s open to the move and wants to join. So, what happened? Napoli had some negotiations with PSG, but the Ligue 1 giants said no to including Lee Kang-in in the deal, and said no to paying Osimhen’s release clause.
“The only way for PSG to do the deal is for a reduced price, so let’s see what happens, but in the last 24-48 hours, PSG director Luis Campos spoke to Goncalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani to reassure them that they will be PSG’s strikers for next season.
“Still, the market is long, and even if this deal is not advancing, it’s not off yet. My understanding is that Osimhen still wants to leave Napoli and that Napoli also want to sign Romelu Lukaku. This is the plan, and Napoli already have an agreement with Lukaku, so they have to find a solution for Osimhen.
“Let’s see if PSG will return, but at the moment they are very clear in not proceeding with this deal on those conditions. Chelsea have also been linked with Osimhen many times, but the reality is that they never wanted to pay his release clause at Napoli, or the player’s salary, which is around €11-12m net per season. This is too expensive for Chelsea, and so this is why it has always been a complicated deal for them.”
