Real Madrid eye surprise transfer swoop for Arsenal star whose value has skyrocketed to €80m | OneFootball

Real Madrid are reportedly eyeing up a surprise transfer move for a young star who hasn’t even been part of the Arsenal set-up for that long.

Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori joined the Gunners from Bologna last summer and has made a good impression in his first season at the Emirates Stadium.

It seems Calafiori’s form has now caught the attention of Real Madrid, with Fichajes claiming they’re keen on the 22-year-old, whose value has now shot up to €80m.

Calafiori is surely more than good enough to play for arguably Europe’s biggest club, though Arsenal won’t want to lose him so soon after signing him.

Fichajes add that Arsenal seem to be confident of being able to keep hold of Calafiori despite Madrid’s interest.

Could Riccardo Calafiori leave as Arsenal make summer sales?

Riccardo Calafiori celebrates scoring for Arsenal against PSV (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Arsenal will surely need to make some sales this summer, so could Calafiori end up being someone to keep an eye on in the transfer market?

Even if the Italy international has impressed in north London, it’s not like Mikel Arteta doesn’t already have plenty of other options in that position.

It’s been a superb breakthrough season for Myles Lewis-Skelly, who now looks like he could become the clear first choice for Arsenal.

On top of that, AFC also already had Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu as options in that role, while Jurrien Timber can also fill in there.

One imagines Arsenal would be more likely to sell Zinchenko or Kiwior before Calafiori, but maybe if Real or someone else can come up with a tempting offer, it would be something that could materialise.