Arsenal stalemate ended as €40m+ fee for 22yo Italian agreed, will sign 5-year deal

Arsenal‘s deal for Bologna‘s young left-back Riccardo Calafiori appears to be getting closer despite complications surrounding a sell-on clause with Calafiori’s former club, Basel.

Just yesterday, Bologna’s sporting director, Claudio Fenucci, confirmed the stalemate between Arsenal and Bologna was ongoing, stating, “There is no news from Arsenal,” indicating the Gunners had not budged from their initial offer. Arsenal’s bid, reportedly in the region of €45 million plus bonuses, was said to fall short of Bologna’s €50 million valuation.

Fast forward 24 hours and Fabrizio Romano is now reporting that a €40m fee plus €5m in add-ons has been agreed.

What has changed is still not clear at the time of writing.

Initially, the main problem with the deal stemmed from a sell-on clause in Calafiori’s contract. When Bologna acquired the 22-year-old defender from Basel last year, the Swiss club inserted a clause entitling them to 50% of any future transfer profit. This means that if Bologna were to sell Calafiori to Arsenal a substantial portion would go to Basel, significantly reducing Bologna’s net profit.

This financial complication prompted Bologna to take a hardline stance in negotiations. They were initially unwilling to accept Arsenal’s lower offer, which would have left them with a smaller profit margin after paying Basel their due.

Calafiori remains keen on a move to Arsenal and is attracted by the prospect of working under Mikel Arteta. He has also reportedly agreed a five-year deal with the club. The Italian defender, who impressed during his first year with Bologna last season, sees Arsenal as the ideal platform to further his career.

Now that the two clubs have found an agreement, all that is left is for Bologna and Basel to agree the terms for payment of the sell-on clause.

It seems like it is now only a matter of time before Calafiori becomes the latest new Gunner.