Arsenal have rejected an approach to sell Riccardo Calafiori during the summer transfer window, according to reports.
The Gunners beat London rivals Chelsea to a deal for Calafiori last summer, spending £42m to sign the Italian defender from Bologna.
Calafiori only spent one season at Bologna but impressed for the Serie A side during the 2023-24 campaign and was then one of Italy’s best players at a disappointing Euro 2024.
Given he was one of Arsenal’s marquee signings last summer, Calafiori was somewhat of a disappointment last season, missing many games through injury and then being used as a left-back by Mikel Arteta.
Calafiori is unlikely to play as a centre-back given the impressive partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes but his left-back prospects are also bleak following Myles Lewis-Skelly’s breakout season.
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Despite this, Calafiori will be given a chance to revive his Arsenal career, with the club rebuffing a transfer approach from AC Milan.
The Daily Mirror say Serie A giants AC Milan contacted Arsenal to discuss a possible deal but were rejected by both Arsenal and the player, who is keen to stay in London.
Arsenal are willing to sanction outgoings, however, and have given AC Milan permission to talk to Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Ukraine international was a key player for Arsenal in the first few years following his move from Manchester City but struggled for game-time last season.
The same can be said for Jakub Kiwior but Arsenal are considering keeping the 25-year-old at the Emirates Stadium despite interest from AC Milan.
Last month, Calafiori responded to speculation linking him with a move away from Arsenal and bemoaned his stop-start 2024-25 campaign.
Asked about the AC Milan rumours, Calafiori told Gianluca Di Marzio: ‘I am very happy at Arsenal.
‘In my opinion, what was missing was just continuity this year,’ Calafiori added.
‘I will try to be more consistent next year. When I was good, I always played and I also made the difference. The goal is just to stay in shape all year.
‘For me personally, [my first season in England] was a great experience. Obviously when you win trophies it’s always better.
‘Here I measured myself against the most important and difficult championship in the world.
‘I saw that I can be there easily, this made me very happy and I am convinced of the choice I made. A regret? None, absolutely.’
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