b&w & read all over 
01-05-2024 17:57
01-05-2024 17:57
Report: Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham eyeing Juve transfer target Riccardo Calafiori
Even though there are still four rounds to go in the 2023-24 Serie A season, most of the attention when Juventus isn’t playing has shifted, understandably, to what’s next. And in that case of what’s next, it’s the transfer market and what Cristiano Giuntoli is going to try and do this summer to raise the level of Juventus’ roster no matter who the manager is.
We know that one of Juve’s main targets is one of Serie A’s biggest breakout stars, Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori.
But maybe to the surprise to no one, there are other big-name — as well as forward-thinking — clubs who are very much keeping tabs on the 21-year-old Roma youth product.
According to Tuttosport on Tuesday, Juventus’ direct competition for Calafiori’s signature has very much come into focus — Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen as well as Tottenham, who have done a whole lot of shopping in Serie A over the last couple of years, especially when it comes to their defensive group. While the extent of talks between Bologna and the two non-Italian clubs have not truly been laid out, Tuttosport says that both Leverkusen and Tottenham have “followed him live several times” and are very much interested in Calafiori, who Bologna signed from FC Basel for just €4 million last summer.
It is widely believed that Bologna want a transfer fee of at least €25 million for Calafiori this summer, with Basel having a 40% sell-on clause worked into the deal from a year ago. Of course, the fear when you he a Premier League club gets involved is that the money is going to become much more than Juventus will be able to overcome. That is the new reality for Juventus when a team from the EPL gets involved. (And pretty much anybody who isn’t named Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germian as well.)
But at this point, we know full well that Juventus and Bologna are in talks when it comes to a move for Calafiori. It’s been reportedly widely, and Juve seem to be be in pole position — for whatever that’s worth at this point in the calendar — to sign Calafiori despite the interest from Tottenham (and their very forward-thinking tactics) and Bayer Leverkusen and everything that comes with playing for a manager like Xabi Alonso.
So in a summer that potentially involves plenty of talks with Bologna or Bologna-adjacent people, Calafiori could very well be the first box checked when it comes to Juventus’ summer transfer window. He certainly fills a position of need at the very least.
We know that one of Juve’s main targets is one of Serie A’s biggest breakout stars, Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori.
But maybe to the surprise to no one, there are other big-name — as well as forward-thinking — clubs who are very much keeping tabs on the 21-year-old Roma youth product.
According to Tuttosport on Tuesday, Juventus’ direct competition for Calafiori’s signature has very much come into focus — Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen as well as Tottenham, who have done a whole lot of shopping in Serie A over the last couple of years, especially when it comes to their defensive group. While the extent of talks between Bologna and the two non-Italian clubs have not truly been laid out, Tuttosport says that both Leverkusen and Tottenham have “followed him live several times” and are very much interested in Calafiori, who Bologna signed from FC Basel for just €4 million last summer.
It is widely believed that Bologna want a transfer fee of at least €25 million for Calafiori this summer, with Basel having a 40% sell-on clause worked into the deal from a year ago. Of course, the fear when you he a Premier League club gets involved is that the money is going to become much more than Juventus will be able to overcome. That is the new reality for Juventus when a team from the EPL gets involved. (And pretty much anybody who isn’t named Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germian as well.)
But at this point, we know full well that Juventus and Bologna are in talks when it comes to a move for Calafiori. It’s been reportedly widely, and Juve seem to be be in pole position — for whatever that’s worth at this point in the calendar — to sign Calafiori despite the interest from Tottenham (and their very forward-thinking tactics) and Bayer Leverkusen and everything that comes with playing for a manager like Xabi Alonso.
So in a summer that potentially involves plenty of talks with Bologna or Bologna-adjacent people, Calafiori could very well be the first box checked when it comes to Juventus’ summer transfer window. He certainly fills a position of need at the very least.