Arsenal complete swoop for Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori

Arsenal have completed the signing of Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.

The 22-year-old centre-back was highlighted as a priority target for the Gunners this season and they have landed their man for a fee of £42m.

Calafiori has signed a five-year deal at the Emirates Stadium, having played for Italy during their Euro 2024 campaign.

"We welcome Riccardo and his family to Arsenal. He is a great signing and gives us huge strength to reinforce our defence," said manager Mikel Arteta.

"Riccardo is a big personality and character, with specific skills which will make us stronger as we push to win major trophies.

"He has already shown great development in recent seasons with his performances for both Bologna and Italy, with his progression and development in the past year being really impressive.

"We're looking forward to working with Riccardo, integrating him into the squad and supporting him in the years to come."

Calafiori becomes Arsenal's second major summer acquisition after David Raya's loan move from Brentford was made permanent.

We need your consent to load this YouTube content We use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preferences

Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.