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Real Madrid have put Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori back on their radar ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The Gunners spent £42m on Calafiori last summer as the Italy international arrived from Serie A side Bologna, who are having another good season in the Italian top-flight.
Calafiori’s season has not gone quite how he anticipated with injuries halting his progress in Mikel Arteta’s side with the 22-year-old only making 11 Premier League starts this season.
The Arsenal defender has been in good form in recent times, although he picked up another injury on international duty with Italy last week.
And Spanish website Fichajes insists that Real Madrid ‘reactivates option’ to buy Arsenal defender Calafiori after already considering his signing in the past.
As the Spanish side ‘scour the market’ for defensive improvements, ‘one of the names that is gaining traction again’ is Calafiori with the Arsenal defender ‘once again sparking the interest of Real Madrid’s board’.
The report adds:
‘Arsenal, aware of their defender’s value, will not make his departure easy. His contract and the interest from other major clubs make the deal a financial challenge for Real Madrid. The club is not willing to pay any price and could consider other alternatives if negotiations become complicated. The priority is to find reinforcements without compromising financial planning for future investments.
‘The final decision will depend on several factors, including Arsenal’s willingness to negotiate and the player’s stance on the possibility of a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Meanwhile, Real Madrid is closely monitoring his progress, assessing whether to take the final step to pursue his signing or pursue other options on the market.’
Arsenal icon Emmanuel Petit insists that, although he is a fan of Calafiori, the Gunners should have prioritised a signing of a striker over the Italy international.
Petit said in January: “They should have addressed that in the last transfer window. They should have bought a striker. I know that they extended the quality of the squad with a couple of players, but they added to positions they were well covered in. They signed Calafiori, but they already had two or three players that could play at left back.
“I’m a big fan of Calafiori but when you look at it, when you look at the young guy Lewis-Skelly, he’s doing so well, and Zinchenko is on the bench most of the time, so they had that part of the pitch covered.
“I can understand that when you play every three days and you have to compete in every competition, that you need squad depth, but the striker position was a priority. I didn’t know why Arsenal didn’t go for a proper striker last summer.”
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