Arsenal’s move for Riccardo Calafiori has stalled, but the Gunners have another defender on their shortlist.
Mikel Arteta’s side is on the market for new signings, aiming to make the right additions without spending excessively.
Calafiori fits this description, but a move for him has stalled in recent weeks. Whether Arsenal will turn to an alternative target remains uncertain.
However, an exclusive report from Caught Offside reveals that Mikel Arteta’s side is now keen on signing Bournemouth defender Ilya Zabarnyi.
The 21-year-old played three games for Ukraine at Euro 2024 and is considered one of the finest young centre-backs in England.
The Gunners are confident that he could perform well for them and might add him to their squad this summer, regardless of the outcome of the Calafiori pursuit.
Their current priority, though, is to finalise a deal for the Italian defender as soon as possible.
Just Arsenal Opinion
At 21, Ilya Zabarnyi looks to be a fine defender in the making, and his age means Mikel Arteta still has a good chance of moulding him into a top player.
However, we do not expect Bournemouth to allow him to leave them easily, and we probably will be forced to pay a huge fee for his signature.
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In other news, I see where Cucurella dyed his hair red. He was never easy to spot on the pitch until now, lol. I wonder if his representatives have requested a meeting with Edu. Noooooo
It’s good to have a Plan B – as long as it’s not more expensive than Plan A, of course.
The reason calafiori really makes sense is because he has played left back a lot, and I’d expect that to be his primary position of he joined us – that’s clearly our weakest position in the defence and possibly the entire team. I don’t think we need another CB particularly as we’ve got two great starters and plenty of cover.
it would feel like a big let down if Calafiori does not come
Apparently it’s all but done. Just down to Bologna and Basel to sort out the split.
really, if true that is a relief, Calafiori looks to be the answer to our left side fragility plus brings ball carrying out of defence surprise attacks
Edu has haggled well, my fear is that is partly because Arsenal don’t actually have much FFP/PSR wiggle room, Raya loan to buy last season said it all really, but that just kicked the problem down the road with £27m out of our budget without actually adding a new player in reality
if so, and we are sailing that close to the wind then the mega money strikers are way off the cards as £80m to £100m soaks up every penny and then some – defensive midfield is far bigger and better value for money priority