Calafiori to Arsenal did turn into something of a transfer saga over the past month as there were many twists and turns in this deal.
Indeed, while personal terms were reportedly agreed a long time ago, Arsenal and Bologna had to haggle over a fee, and then Bologna had to deal with Basel in regards to their sell-on fee.
However, according to Sky Sports, there was very nearly another twist late in the day in this Calafiori deal.
Riccardo Calafiori of Italy arrives at Hemberg-Stadion prior to the Italy training session on June 26, 2024 in Iserlohn, Germany.
Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images for FIGC
Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal almost had a late twist
Sky Sports report that Calafiori to Arsenal is almost a done deal.
However, within this report, there is an interesting claim.
Indeed, according to Sky, another Premier League club tried to hijack this deal in the last 10 days.
Luckily for Arsenal, these attempts proved to be unsuccessful and a move to north London now appears to be on the cards.
Who tried to hijack Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal?
Given that Calafiori is set to join Arsenal for £40m, there are only a few teams within the Premier League who could’ve attempted this hijack.
Chelsea, of course, love to pinch players at the last minute, as Arsenal know well from the Mykhaylo Mudryk saga.
Manchester United have the funds to do such a deal, but after signing Leny Yoro, it’s unlikely that they were the team in this race.
Liverpool do need a new left-sided centre-back, so perhaps it was the Reds who tried to pinch Calafiori.
Tottenham had been linked with a move for the Italian, so Spurs can’t be discounted as this mystery team either, and the same goes for Newcastle.
It’s impossible to say who tried this hijack, but it will be interesting to see if the truth comes out in the coming weeks once Calafiori is officially an Arsenal player.
0 Comments