Sources: "He's keen..." - Arsenal star open to surprise transfer exit this summer | OneFootball

My colleague Simon Phillips recently covered an interesting story about Chelsea’s interest in Riccardo Calafiori, and I’ve had some more information on the Arsenal defender’s future.

Although I’ve also been told there is some interest from Chelsea, it seems this is not currently considered a realistic deal for two reasons.

Firstly, Arsenal don’t want to sell to a rival, and secondly, Calafiori himself is understood to favour a return to Italy if possible, with the former Bologna man not short of interest from Serie A.

Chelsea’s interest in Calafiori is genuine and dates back to before he moved to Arsenal, with the Blues also one of the clubs in for the player in the summer of 2024.

Still, Chelsea will likely have to look elsewhere for new defensive additions, with Nottingham Forest’s Murillo widely linked as one of their top targets for that area of their squad.

Riccardo Calafiori open to Serie A transfer return

One interesting domino effect that could impact Calafiori’s future is the situation at Inter Milan, who face losing Alessandro Bastoni to Barcelona.

Inter are looking for a replacement for Bastoni and sources in the industry have informed me that Calafiori is someone they’re keen on for that role.

Arsenal’s preference would be to keep the 23-year-old and there’s not currently anything advanced on an exit, but it looks like one to watch as the player himself is keen on more playing time.

“Calafiori isn’t pushing to leave Arsenal, but he’s fallen behind Piero Hincapie in the pecking order this season, so Inter feel it’s a deal that would be worth exploring,” one source told me. “He’s keen to return to Italy at some point, and though this is a bit sooner than expected, it can’t be ruled out for this summer.”

Arsenal will want to ensure they still have depth at the back, with Calafiori a useful option to fill in at either left-back or centre-back, though the Gunners also have a number of other names available in that department.

Arsenal could sell stars this summer

This is not the first we’ve heard about big names potentially leaving Arsenal this summer.

While fans will be eager to hear Arsenal transfer news about new signings coming in, that won’t be possible without money being raised from sales after so much big spending last year.

Hincapie will be joining permanently from Bayer Leverkusen, while Arsenal also still have Myles Lewis-Skelly as an option at left-back, so the club may end up deciding that Calafiori is someone they can afford to cash in on, but again, it’s far from guaranteed and would require a good offer.

Inter are the main suitors at the moment, but Juventus and Napoli are also long-term admirers of his.