Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori, but they face significant competition from Serie A giants Juventus.
Calafiori, 22, starred as Bologna secured Champions League qualification for the first time since 1964 last season, but he is set to depart the club after a stellar domestic campaign.
With Bologna manager Thiago Motta now confirmed as Massimiliano Allegri’s replacement at Juventus, the Turin-based side are making significant moves in the transfer market as they look to re-establish themselves as Italy’s top dogs.
READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024 – All the Done Deals
Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz is on the verge of arriving, along with his partner Alisha Lehmann, while Calafiori is close to joining the club too.
However, Chelsea are keen to hijack the Italian’s move to the Allianz Stadium.
READ MORE: A future superstar? Why Chelsea want to sign Jhon Duran
Why Chelsea want to sign Riccardo Calafiori
Calafiori earned just his third Italy cap during the Azzurri’s Euro 2024 opener against Albania, with the Bologna star playing 90 minutes in the narrow 2-1 win.
He helped Italy play a hybrid system, which translated from a back four out of possession to a back three when they had the ball.
The 22-year-old was deployed on the left of a back three when Italy had possession, and he was frequently seen progressing the ball up the pitch with powerful carries.
At Bologna, Calafiori has shown an equal level of adaptability. In 2023-24, he played a variety of different roles under the aforementioned Motta, with the Italian even inverting into midfield on occasion.
His ability to play at centre-back and left-back is an extremely valuable trait in modern football and one that new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca greatly admires.
The Blues head coach reportedly sent a scout to watch Calafiori in action against Albania as he pushes to sign the Bologna defender.
Although Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile and Marc Cucurella are all capable of playing in a similar role to Calafiori, both in and out of possession, the Italy international is evidently a star and his performance alongside Alessandro Bastoni versus Albania was proof he is capable of being deployed next to Colwill, for example.
While Chelsea appear to have a plethora of options in Calafiori’s position, the Bologna star would likely play as a left-back out of possession at Stamford Bridge before moving into a left centre-back role in possession.
Colwill proved he wasn’t best suited to this role during the early weeks of the 2023-24 campaign, while Badiashile is better at defending centrally, rather than out wide.
Furthermore, although Cucurella enjoyed a productive end of the season, he remains a slight liability and Chelsea’s pursuit of Calafiori is proof that Maresca isn’t quite satisfied with his current options.
However, the Italy star prefers a move to Juventus, according to Nicolo Schira, and with an agreement in principle having been locked down, it seems unlikely that Chelsea will sign Calafiori.
But, his skillset is a perfect fit for Maresca’s system and Chelsea clearly want to sign him due to his ability to play left-back out of possession and left centre-back in possession.