Report: Riccardo Calafiori to Join Arsenal from Bologna; $49M ...

Arsenal are reportedly set to land Riccardo Calafiori after reaching an agreement with Bologna on a transfer fee that will send the defender to north London.

Per soccer insider Fabrizio Romano, the two clubs agreed to the $49 million transfer fee that includes $5.4 million in add-ons and a sell-on clause.

The final step in the process will be getting Basel and Bologna to agree to the 50 percent sell-on payment terms before Calafiori can officially join Arsenal.

The Athletic's David Ornstein previously reported Arsenal were "accelerating" its efforts to sign Calafiori, with the goal of getting a deal done as soon as possible.

Calafiori joined Basel on a permanent transfer in August 2022 after he spent the previous four years in Serie A with Roma. The 22-year-old signed with Bologna last August.

Per Samuel Meade of The Mirror, Bologna was threatening to call off the deal with Arsenal because it wanted Basel to accept less than the 50 percent fee it was owed as part of the original agreement for Calafiori.

Calafiori can play either center-back or left-back for the Gunners. Mikel Arteta has prioritized positional flexibility as he has built up his squad, influenced in part by his time at Manchester City, which has had success using four center-backs in defense.

The addition of Calafiori would also give Arteta another potential starting option at left-back alongside Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jurriën Timber. Timber is still working his way back after tore his ACL last August and was only able to return to action in the final Premier League match of the season against Everton.

Calafiori would also be a rotation option at center-back, where Gabriel and William Saliba have combined to form one of the Premier League's top defensive partnerships.

Calafiori appeared in 30 matches for Bologna during the 2023-24 Serie A season. He finished with two goals and five assists, helping the club qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1964.

Arsenal finished second to Man City in the 2023-24 Premier League standings. The Gunners reached the round of 16 in the Champions League before losing to Bayern Munich 3-2 on aggregate.

Arteta's club will open the 2024-25 Premier League season on Aug. 17 against Wolves. Depending on how quickly the remaining hurdles get cleared, Calafiori could potentially be on the pitch in a Gunners jersey for that match.