It is increasingly obvious this will become a Premier League bidding war for Riccardo Calafiori, with Arsenal and Chelsea at the front, as Bologna prefer not to strengthen Juventus.
The defender was one of the few players who genuinely impressed for Italy at EURO 2024, especially as he only received his first cap last month.
Juve have been tracking him for many months, but by poaching Bologna’s coach Thiago Motta, they damaged their rapport with the club.
Director Giovanni Sartori confirmed as much when speaking to the media this week.
“I don’t think he will go to Juventus, it will probably be abroad, but we will try to keep him.”
Calafiori heading to Premier League
Arsenal have been showing consistent interest in the 22-year-old, though now La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sky Sport Italia and more claim that Chelsea are pushing hard too.
There are even suggestions that Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United could be in the race.
Bologna signed Calafiori last year from FC Basel for just €4m, but with the proviso they owe the Swiss team 40 per cent of the profit from the sell-on fee.
With that in mind and his recent form, the Rossoblu want at least €50m to part with the versatile defender, who can play centrally, as a left-back or even in a more advanced role.
According to the Corriere dello Sport, Arsenal are practically there already with a proposal worth €47m.