According to a report from Tuttosport, the new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has his eyes on Bologna’s defender Riccardo Calafiori.
Chelsea have started to ask about him in the past few days.
This season, Calafiori has been key in Bologna’s push to get into the Champions League, and a lot of people have noticed how well he’s playing.
Tuttosport says that Maresca really likes the 22-year-old center-back, especially how he plays the game, which fits with Maresca’s style of football.
Bologna is reported to have valued Calafiori at £19 million, but they will have to share 40% of the transfer fee with his former club Basel.
Thus, they are hoping to ignite a bidding war to maximize their return.
Calafiori is also included in Italy’s squad for Euro 2024, and his price could be boosted even higher should he excel in the competition.
Bologna expects his price tag to surpass £25.5 million if he has a good campaign. The interest in Calafiori will not prove easy to convince him to leave Italy.
Also Read: Chelsea Set £25m Asking Price For Trevoh Chalobah
He wants to stay in his native country, and prefers Juventus.
Juventus is likely to appoint Calafiori’s current Bologna manager, Thiago Motta, and may have a significant advantage in the race for the defender.
Juventus, however may struggle to meet Bologna’s valuation of Calafiori.
If that is the case, then it could leave the door open for Chelsea to swoop in early and sign him before others, with Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich also interested in the young central defender.
Maresca’s Admiration for Calafiori
This only goes to show that Maresca appreciates Calafiori’s skill set and intends to strengthen Chelsea’s defense with players who can fit his tactical plans.
The Italian manager has reportedly felt that Calafiori’s technical prowess will be a great addition for the Blues in their quest to rebuild and improve the side ahead of next season.
Also Read: Ipswich Town Eyes £20m Move For Omari Hutchinson
The coming days will be interesting to see whether Chelsea makes a move with a lot of muscle and signs the Italian before he goes off to any other interested clubs.
This deal may prove to be important to shape Chelsea’s defense in Maresca’s likely reign.
