Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori has been making the headlines a lot recently.
The Italian has a free summer because the Azzurri have not qualified for the World Cup again. He has all the time in the world to relax and get himself ready for the new season.
However, over the last two weeks, multiple reports have claimed that Jose Mourinho wants to sign Calafiori for Real Madrid.
Now, what’s actually going on has been revealed.
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Fabrizio Romano says Riccardo Calafiori to Real Madrid is ‘not advancing’
Riccardo Calafiori is very highly rated by people in and around Arsenal.
The former Bologna man is a unicorn of a player. Even though he is naturally a centre-back, he has mostly played as a left full-back for the Gunners and is always given a unique role.
Calafiori has more freedom than almost any other left-back in history to venture forward – not just on his own flank but anywhere on the pitch. We’ve even seen him on the right wing at Arsenal at times.
That makes him an attractive option for many top clubs, which is why Real Madrid contacted his agent to speak about a potential move.
However, Fabrizio Romano has now revealed that nothing has happened since, and his feeling is that Calafiori is not a serious option for Los Blancos anymore.
He said in his YouTube video: “As of today, Riccardo Calafiori, there was a contact with the agents a few weeks ago, but my understanding is that Real Madrid reached out to the agency of Calafiori, but Real Madrid have not reached out to Arsenal so far.
“There is no club-to-club contact. At the moment, my feeling is that the Calafiori option for Real Madrid is not that concrete. It is a possibility they discussed internally, speaking with the agents, but that’s it.
“At the moment, Real Madrid are not advancing for Calafiori.”
Should Arsenal considering SELLING Riccardo Calafiori already due to his injuries?
Riccardo Calafiori deserves another season at Arsenal
We understand the argument that Arsenal should cash in on Calafiori if a big offer arrives.
The Italian’s quality, versatility and general profile make him a very valuable player, and we won’t be surprised if a massive offer arrives on the table at some point.
However, the Premier League champions should keep Calafiori for another year, just to see if he can overcome his injury issues with better management.
If he can, he will be a game-changer for Arsenal because his movement makes it extremely difficult for clubs to stop the Gunners going forward.
However, if in a year’s time he is still struggling with fitness issues, nobody can make a case for him to stay.
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