'I know': Fabrizio Romano says he's now hearing something different about Riccardo Calafiori and Arsenal

Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal is becoming something of a transfer saga.

The Italian was said to have agreed a move to the Emirates two weeks ago, but, as of yet, there’s been no official movement on this front.

There have been a number of reports about why Calafiori’s move to Arsenal has seemingly stalled, and reports over in Italy have strongly suggested that Basel’s sell-on clause is proving to be the big issue.

However, according to Fabrizio Romano, that isn’t the case.

Writing on The Daily Briefing, Romano shared what he knows about Calafiori, claiming that the issue is that Arsenal want to include add-ons in this deal, stating that Basel’s clause isn’t a big problem.

Fabrizio Romano shares Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal update

Romano gave an update on the Italian defender.

“I know Arsenal fans are keen for an update on Riccardo Calafiori, but there are no substantial changes to the situation yet. Arsenal and Bologna remain in contact but there’s no agreement over the €50m fee,” Romano wrote.

“The issue is that Bologna want guaranteed money while Arsenal’s proposal includes add-ons structure to get to €50m potential fee. Despite what has been suggested elsewhere, there’s no ‘issue’ with Basel: they will receive 50% of the deal, that’s it. Bologna want €50m fixed exactly because they have to give over €20m to Basel, this is the point.”

Calafiori deal should get done

This is a frustrating update, but it sounds as though it’s not anything to be too worried about.

Indeed, the fact that payment structure rather than payment numbers are the problem here would suggest that there’s a compromise to be made.

We’ve seen this so many times when clubs have jockeyed for position trying to get the best deal when negotiating a transfer, and, more often than not, the two parties find a way to meet in the middle.