By

Arinze Izik

Arsenal reportedly demanded €80million, about £69.2m, for Riccardo Calafiori, a fee that pushed Real Madrid to pivot to Marc Cucurella instead.

According to Spanish journalist Sergio Valentin, Calafiori was Jose Mourinho’s top defensive target after signing Ibrahima Konate on a free. Mourinho wanted a defender comfortable as both centre-back and left-back. Josko Gvardiol was option No.2, but he’s set to renew with Manchester City.

When Arsenal’s €80m valuation proved too steep, Madrid moved quickly for Cucurella. The Spain left-back is leaving Chelsea in a deal worth up to £52m and will join Los Blancos for the 2026 World Cup. The 27-year-old can also play left wing-back and has featured 21 times at centre-back.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed on June 10 that Madrid had spoken to Calafiori’s agents weeks ago, but there was no club-to-club contact with Arsenal. “At the moment, the Calafiori option for Real Madrid is not that concrete,” he said.

Calafiori, 24, joined Arsenal from Bologna in summer 2024 and is contracted to the Premier League champions until 2029. With Madrid unwilling to meet the price, the Italy international stays at the Emirates for now.