Arsenal's £37.9m transfer 'delayed' as sell-on clause battle ensues

 

Arsenal's attempts to close a deal for Bologna centre-back Riccardo Calafiori have reportedly hit a second snag due to a dispute between two of his former teams.

Following a lengthy period of negotiations, the Gunners are believed to agreed a total fee of €45m (£37.9m) to sign the Italy international, who will cost an initial £33.7m plus £4.2m in add-ons.

Calafiori, who was also on Juventus' radar, has given the green light to a long-term contract in North London, but there are still a few financial hurdles to clear before he can officially join Mikel Arteta's ranks.

Firstly, there is the issue of a sell-on clause that Bologna and Basel agreed upon last year, which entitles the Swiss side to 50% of any future sale, meaning that they stand to pocket just under £19m.

Now, Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Roma have also entered the legal mix, as they also shook hands on a sell-on percentage with Basel when they sold Calafiori to the Swiss giants in the summer of 2022.

Roma 'owed 40%' of Basel's Calafiori revenue

The Giallorossi were paid £2.2m when they sold Calafiori to Basel a couple of years ago, and at the time, the two clubs shook hands on a stipulation where Roma would receive 40% of his next transfer.

After just one season in the Basel strip, Calafiori was sold to Bologna for €4m (£3.4m), so Roma received €1.5m (£1.3m) from their Swiss counterparts to honour that 40% agreement.

However, Daniele de Rossi's side supposedly believe that they are also entitled to 40% of the sell-on clause money that Basel receive from Bologna, which would be around €8m (£6.7m).

Lawyers from the two clubs are now understood to be looking over the documents, and Roma - whom Calafiori made just one senior appearance for - have been left 'quite irritated' with Basel.

There is still no suggestion that Arsenal's move for the Italy international is in danger of collapsing, although it is unclear if the deal will go through in time for Calafiori to be involved in the Gunners' tour of the USA.

Arteta's side are in action against Bournemouth on Wednesday, before also clashing with Liverpool and Manchester United on July 27 and 31 respectively.

The Gunners' only senior signing so far has been the permanent acquisition of David Raya from Brentford, while fellow goalkeepers Tommy Setford and Lucas Nygaard have joined the club's academy ranks.

What will Calafiori bring to Arsenal?

A versatile and competent ball-playing defender, Calafiori mostly operated as a centre-back in the 2023-24 Serie A season, where he scored two goals and set up five more in 33 appearances.

The 22-year-old is also comfortable as a left-back, where Arteta failed to settle on a first-choice option in the 2023-24 Premier League season, and he ranked in the top 10 Serie A players for aerial duels won with over 70%.

Calafiori also created 17 chances for his teammates last term, as Bologna upset the Serie A apple cart to qualify for the Champions Lea

gue with a fifth-placed finish.