Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta lines up next transfer as Riccardo Calafiori deal edges closer

Arsenal has strengthened its goalkeeping department with the acquisition of Tommy Setford from Ajax, while still pursuing Wolves' Dan Bentley.

Born in the Netherlands, Setford has spent a decade honing his skills at the renowned Ajax academy. Despite his Dutch roots, the 18-year-old represents England on the international stage and was part of the under-17s team that competed in last year's World Cup in Indonesia, alongside fellow Gunners Ethan Nwnaeri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Setford will initially join Arsenal's Under-21 squad but will also train with Mikel Arteta's senior team. With Arthur Okonkwo recently joining Wrexham and Karl Hein expected to go out on loan, there could be opportunities for progression. There are also rumors that Aaron Ramsdale may depart in search of more regular playing time.

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Per Mertesacker, Arsenal's academy manager, expressed his excitement about the new signing: "He is a young goalkeeper with big potential and we look forward to supporting his development in the coming years," he said. "The first step on Tommy's development pathway with us will be to integrate into our under-21s academy group and train regularly with our first team goalkeeping group."

Setford's signing follows the permanent deal for David Raya from Brentford, marking Arsenal's second significant acquisition of the summer transfer window. In addition, the Gunners have secured the services of Danish keeper Lucas Nygaard from FC Nordsjaelland. These signings come after the club let five youth team keepers leave at the end of June.

Arsenal are on the hunt for a new shot-stopper and have had an offer for Wolves' second-choice goalkeeper Bentley turned down. The 31-yearold, who is entering the final year of his contract, is also the subject of a second bid from the Gunners, believed to be around $390,000 (£300,000.) However, Wolves are holding out for a fee closer to $1.3m (£1m).

The pursuit of Bentley has been spearheaded by Arsenal's goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana, who previously worked with the stopper at Brentford. Bentley is no stranger to Arsenal, having spent seven years at their Hale End academy before being released in 2008.

A deal for Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori is also close to being finalized. Liverpool was reportedly in the mix for the Italy international but he looks set to move to the Emirates.

Liverpool.com says: Mikel Arteta is clearly keen to add to his goalkeeping options this summer and has his sights set on Bentley. Should a deal go through, it will be interesting to see what happens with Aaron Ramsdale. You can't imagine he would be happy spending another season as back-up.