Liverpool asked to divert transfer deal with Arsenal for Euro 2024 star | Football

The Gunners are closing in on a deal for Calafiori, who impressed at Euro 2024 despite Italy’s disappointing last 16 exit at the hands of Switzerland.

Calafiori, who can play at centre-back or left-back, also impressed during the 2023-24 campaign for Bologna, making 33 appearances as the Serie A side qualified for the Champions League.

Arsenal look set to sign the 22-year-old in a deal worth around £42m, but Liverpool have been tipped to make a late swoop for Calafiori by former Anfield star Didi Hamann.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate formed a formidable centre-back partnership at Liverpool, but Hamann believes Calafiori would start should he join the club this summer.

“Riccardo Calafiori is a very good player and he is so comfortable on the ball that it is not surprising that when he missed Italy’s game against Switzerland, they did a terrible performance,” Hamann told Top Offshore Casinos.

“They were terrible from start to finish, terrible. That came after he set up a last-minute equalizer against Croatia.

“I think Virgil van Dijk has said he wants to stay and he wants to be with his compatriot Arne Slot, he wants to help him get back to winning ways at Liverpool.

‘Ibrahima Konate is a brilliant defender but he has too many injuries, so Calafiori he would be a very good player for what he would cost.

“He is definitely a player who would start for Liverpool given what he did for his club last season and for his country.

“He’s the kind of player who improves your team and obviously that’s very important when you want to challenge for trophies.”

Arne Slot will be in charge of Liverpool next season after the former Feyenoord boss replaced Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Hamann, who helped Liverpool win the Champions League in 2005, believes Slot faces an “almost impossible job” in his first year on Merseyside.

“You can compare it to Arsene Wenger leaving Arsenal and Sir Alex Ferguson leaving Manchester United, but someone has to do it,” he added.

“A few managers may have been put off because tracking Klopp is almost impossible. But again, it’s an opportunity, it’s a chance for Arne Slot.

“He probably thought that if he refused, he might never get the chance to manage Liverpool again.

“So he has every right to take the job and be confident in his own abilities and so far he has said the right things. I like what I see.

“At first I thought that it doesn’t matter who goes there, because next year it’s almost impossible. But the more I think about it, the more I hear and see from him, the more confident I am because he seems like a very humble and normal guy.

“I think the only thing going against him might be expectations. I think they probably have to do that somehow, which is very difficult because if the fans think we should finish in the top three or we should win a trophy, it’s very difficult to make them believe otherwise.

“But I think the expectations might be a little too high for what they can or are likely to achieve next season.”

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