According to Milan Live, Serie A giants AC Milan are ready to offer one of their two centre-backs in a deal that could see Arsenal star full-back Riccardo Calafiori moving in the other direction.
The 22-year-old joined the Gunners from Bologna in a €45 million move last summer. Although he started the campaign brightly and attracted eyeballs with his energetic display down the flank, consistent injury issues have hindered his progress.
He has collected just 1400 minutes across all competitions this season, and his struggles with the knee injury might make it difficult for him to gain more game time this term.
Arteta has used him whenever he required more attacking control on the left-flank and has preferred Ben White when he needed more stability. Hence, he remains an important squad player for the club.
Home calling for Calafiori…
As per reports, the North London outfit are still open to listening to offers in the region of €35 million for the defender. Milan are interested in bringing him back to Italy but won’t find it necessary to meet the Gunner’s decent asking price.
Riccardo Calafiori is a sensational footballer, but his injury record raises serious concerns, especially when two of the injuries were almost identical. He’s already missed 29 games for #Arsenal this season and had MLS not broken through, things could look very different. #AFC pic.twitter.com/jifKZ7iI0P
— Adam Keys (@adamkeys_) May 2, 2025
Hence, they are curating a well-structured deal that could see Fikayo Tomori or Malick Thiaw, two solid centre-backs, moving to the Emirates this summer. They want to decrease the asking price, and hence, offering a player might make things easier for them.
Tomori has the experience of playing in London, as he spent nearly five years at Chelsea before playing on loan at various English clubs. He has showcased his talent in the Premier League as well as the UEFA Champions League. The 27yo is highly rated in his country, and he could fill the homegrown quota in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Meanwhile, Thiaw is a rising star who has enough Bundesliga and Serie A experience under his belt. The 23-year-old is a physically imposing centre-back, and several German clubs are monitoring his progress.
Calafiori has also played well when available, and his ability to function as a modern ball-playing defender gives him an edge over others. The Italian has shown that he is quite calm with the ball at his feet, and his link-up play with the attackers is exceptional. In fact, he was the reason Gabriel Martinelli started scoring a few goals at the initial period of this season.
Arsenal are aware that losing such a top player might come back to bite them later on, but they also believe that the full-back can develop even further in a league like Serie A, which is well-known for building some of the toughest defenders in the world.
Tomori will add CB depth…
Tomori seems to be a better choice if the Gunners agree to a swap deal. He will add more depth to their already star-studded centre-back position. If they can explore a loan deal, then that might be a win-win situation for both sides. In this way, Arteta’s side won’t lose their star and the player will also get more game-time in Italy.
Along with Calafiori, Milan are also targeting Samuele Ricci and Riccardo Orsolini as defensive additions. Their fierce rivals Juventus remain keen on the defender, but they haven’t opened talks.
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With so many options on the table, it will be interesting to see whether the player jumps to a new club or remains committed to fighting for his place at N5 this summer.
