Having narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in consecutive seasons, Arsenal are determined to go the extra mile and finally end Manchester City's reign of dominance in the 2024-25 campaign. Stung by the agony of title defeat on the final day last term, the Gunners are pulling out all the stops this summer to bridge the gap to the champions.
They are close to landing Italian defensive prodigy Riccardo Calafiori, who is poised to join the north London outfit in a blockbuster £42 million ($54m) move from Bologna.
Fresh off the back of a stellar season that saw him help Bologna secure a coveted Champions League berth and impress for Italy at Euro 2024 this past summer, the 22-year-old is tipped to hit the ground running at the Emirates Stadium.
As Mikel Arteta's men touched down in Los Angeles for their pre-season tour, which will see them face Bournemouth, Manchester United and Liverpool, all eyes are on the progress of the Calafiori deal.
All the latest EPL club news | Team-by-team Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings
However, when quizzed on the possibility of the youngster linking up with the squad for their Stateside friendlies, Arteta played his cards close to his chest, revealing he had no concrete updates on the transfer.
Arteta said: "I don’t know (if anyone will join us). It’s still a lot of time to go in the window but that’s more of a question for Edu and the board I think. When you are so close you want to grab it. We are very close."
Asked if he could give a timeline for when the Calafiori transfer would be completed, Arteta continued: "No, unfortunately not but obviously we know there are certain positions that we want to improve and give the squad better resources in terms of numbers where we are short.
"We will try our best but the main thing is to focus on falling in love with the players we have and make them better."
Arsenal also want to bolster their central midfield this summer, with Mikel Merino of Real Sociedad being considered a top target. Arteta emphasised that the need to "upgrade" the current roster, albeit he did not specify any targets.
The Spaniard added: "We have to (upgrade the squad).
"Perfection in this league requires different standards. To relate that word perfection to winning the Premier League then that’s what we have to do. We need to upgrade in everything we are doing. We have to improve in every area and that is what we are trying to do."
MORE: Who is Riccardo Calafiori? Position, style of play of Bologna and Italy star set to sign for Arsenal
Most Popular
Comments / 0