Liverpool urged to hijack Arsenal’s transfer deal for Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori

Liverpool have been urged to hijack Premier League rivals Arsenal’s deal for Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori.

The Gunners are closing in on a deal for Calafiori, who impressed at Euro 2024 despite Italy’s underwhelming last-16 exit at the hands of Switzerland.

Calafiori, who can play centre-back or left-back, also impressed throughout the 2023-24 campaign for Bologna, making 33 appearances as the Serie A side qualified for the Champions League.

Arsenal look set to sign the 22-year-old in a deal worth around £42m but Liverpool have been advised to make a late swoop for Calafiori by ex-Anfield star Didi Hamann.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have formed a formidable centre-back partnership at Liverpool but Hamann reckons Calafiori would start if he joined the club this summer.

‘Riccardo Calafiori is a very good player and is so comfortable on the ball, it’s no surprise that when he missed Italy’s game against Switzerland, they put in a terrible performance,’ Hamann told Top Offshore Casinos.

‘They were awful from start to finish, awful. That came after he set up the last minute equaliser against Croatia.

‘I think Virgil van Dijk said he wants to stay and he wants to be with his fellow countryman Arne Slot, he wants to help him get back to winning ways at Liverpool.

‘Ibrahima Konate is a brilliant defender but just has too many injuries, so Calafiori would be a very good player depending on how much he’d cost.

‘He’s certainly a player that would be a starter for Liverpool given what he did for his club last season and for his country.

‘He’s the type of player who improves your team and obviously that’s mighty important when you want to challenge for trophies.’

Arne Slot will be in charge of Liverpool next season after the ex-Feyenoord boss replaced Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Hamann, who helped Liverpool win the Champions League in 2005, believes Slot faces an ‘almost impossible job’ in his first year on Merseyside.

‘You can compare it to Arsene Wenger leaving Arsenal and Sir Alex Ferguson leaving Manchester United, but somebody has to do it,’ he added.

‘A few managers may have been put off because following Klopp is near enough impossible. But then again, it’s an opportunity, it’s a chance for Arne Slot.

‘He probably thought that if he turned it down he might never get a chance to manage Liverpool again. 

‘So he’s got every right to take the job and be confident about his own ability and so far he’s saying the right things. I do like what I see. 

‘At first I thought, it doesn’t matter who goes there because next year is almost impossible. But the more I think about it, the more I hear and see from him, the more confident I am because he seems like a very humble and normal guy.

‘I think the one thing that goes against him might be expectations. I think that’s probably he’s got to somehow manage that, which is very hard because if the fans think we should finish in the top three or should win a trophy, it’s very hard to make them think otherwise.

‘But I think expectations might be a bit too big for what they can or probably will achieve next season.’

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