Arsenal are apparently ready to let Tomiyasu go this summer, and if all had gone to plan, the defender may have already left the club.
Indeed, according to Steve Kay, speaking on KS1 TV, Arsenal’s initial plan was to use Tomiyasu as a makeweight in the Riccardo Calafiori deal earlier this summer.
Arsenal offered Takehiro Tomiyasu in Riccardo Calafiori deal
Kay shared what he knows about Tomiyasu and the £40m man.
“There was actually talks when Arsenal were doing the Calafiori deal of him possibly going back there, because they’re like-for-like players they’re exactly similar players. From what I’ve been told, Arsenal did actually offer, but because Bologna needed to pay Basel half the fee what Arsenal paid them, bringing in a player in a swap deal didn’t make sense,” Kay said.
Takehiro Tomiyasu of Arsenal is interviewed in the Hotel on July 18, 2022 in Orlando, Florida.
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Bologna return could still be on the cards for Takehiro Tomiyasu
As Kay says, a swap deal for Calafiori didn’t make the world of sense due to the complication in the deal surrounding what Basel were owed.
However, that said, a move back to Bologna may still be on the cards for Tomiyasu.
The Italian club have plenty of money to spend having sold both Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee this summer, and, as Kay says, Tomiyasu is a like-for-like replacement for Calafiori.
Given that the player already knows the club and the area very well, getting Tomiyasu to agree to a move may not be too difficult.
The proposed Tomiyasu – Calafiori swap deal didn’t quite work out this summer, but don’t be surprised if the Japan international still ends up back in Serie A at some point this summer.
The defender could still end up back at Bologna at some point, as this is a move that makes a lot of sense.
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