Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has been linked with a move away in the summer transfer window and now an update has emerged on his future in north London
A potential move for Riccardo Calafiori to Real Madrid is all-but dead after Los Blancos reached a verbal agreement to sign Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella. Real head coach Jose Mourinho has been keen on signing Calafiori from Arsenal.
It has been suggested that Mourinho sees Calafiori as the final piece to his defensive puzzle after early moves to build a new back line for the La Liga side. Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate are expected to join Real, and the Italian could have been their new left-back.
But football.london understands the Gunners have no intention of selling Calafiori, and are under no pressure to agree to a sale with the 24-year-old having three years remaining on his contract.
And it is also understood that a potential transfer looks unlikely to materialise with Cucurella now heading to the Santiago Bernabeu instead. The Blues have reached an agreement with Real for a deal worth up to £51.7million.
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It is understood that an initial fee of £47.4m has been agreed with around £4.3m in add-ons also secured. The official documents are still to be finalised, but the deal is expected to be announced within the week, with Cucurella making the switch after this summer’s World Cup.
Chelsea were not actively looking to sell, but it is understood that Cucurella was open to the right move and was keen to depart Stamford Bridge. The defender had only signed a new deal with the Blues last summer and still has three years left on it.
While the news is a boost to Arsenal with the Gunners not needing to sell one of their defenders, Calafiori’s availability has been a point of frustration for Mikel Arteta and supporters during his time at the club.
Since arriving at the Emirates Stadium in 2024, the Italian has missed 44 matchday squads for club and country due to injury, across nine separate problems according to Transfermarkt.
In addition, Arteta confirmed that, after playing against Crystal Palace on the final day, he had suffered an issue in midweek, which meant he was unable to both start and come off the bench in the UEFA Champions League final.
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When asked pre-match in Budapest to explain his line-up for the final, Arteta said: “Jurrien [Timber] wasn’t ready to start. He’s done really well to at least be in the position to contribute with certain minutes.
“And with Richy, we’ve had certain issues with him during the week as well, so the others are starting.”
While Calafiori is highly rated in north London and the preference would be to hold onto him to maintain their depth in that position, the reality is that a huge offer would not be ridiculous for the Gunners to ignore after his injury struggles.
