Inter Milan director Piero Ausilio has jetted to London as he targets an Arsenal star to replace one key player who could be Barcelona bound, according to a new report.
Arsenal brace for Carabao Cup final against Man City
Sunday afternoon belongs to Arsenal first and foremost, the Carabao Cup final against Man City.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta-1
For Mikel Arteta's side, it is their first chance to collect silverware since he lifted the FA Cup back in August 2020, and the stakes could not feel higher.
Arsenal sit nine points clear of City in the Premier League and arrive at the national stadium with genuine belief that this is their moment — not just in this competition, but in the wider season, with a quadruple still on the cards.
There are question marks around the starting XI.
Club captain Martin Odegaard has missed the last six games with a knee problem and remains a doubt, while Jurrien Timber was forced off early during Wednesday's Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Arteta will make late calls on both.
City, meanwhile, head to Wembley three days after being dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid — beaten 5-1 on aggregate in the last 16.
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The Gunners legend says he has "no nerves".
It has been a bruising week in Manchester, and winning here would represent urgent damage limitation.
James Trafford starts in goal for the Carabao Cup campaign, with Josko Gvardiol missing through injury.
For Arsenal, though, there is a backdrop of business being conducted well away from Wembley's floodlights.
Because while the cup final approaches, Italian outlet L'Interista has reported that Inter's director of football Ausilio and his colleague Baccin have made a trip to London this week — and one of their targets is sitting right in the middle of Arteta's back four.
Inter Milan set sights on Riccardo Calafiori as director jets to Arsenal
The primary reason for Ausilio's visit is Tottenham's Guglielmo Vicario, who Inter are keen on as a long-term replacement for Jan Sommer, whose contract is running out.
Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario
Ausilio has wider concerns as well though, and one of them involves a potential seismic shift in their own defensive unit.
Alessandro Bastoni, Inter's brilliant left-sided centre-back, is coveted by Barcelona.
The Spanish giants are understood to be willing to go to significant lengths to land him, and while Bastoni remains loyal to the Nerazzurri, the lure of a move to Camp Nou is not something he is ready to dismiss.
Should Bastoni leave, Inter would need a replacement of the highest calibre — and, according to L'Interista, Riccardo Calafiori is precisely the profile they have identified.
The 23-year-old has been a revelation since joining Arsenal from Bologna for £34 million in the summer of 2024. He is not a traditional left-back or centre-back — he is something altogether harder to categorise.
riccardo-calafiori-arsenal-premier-league
He drifts into midfield, starts attacks, arrives late in the box and has contributed a goal and two assists across 22 Premier League appearances this season, keeping 13 clean sheets along the way.
His understanding of positional play mirrors exactly what Bastoni does for Inter and Arteta would be furious at the prospect of losing him.
Inter value Calafiori at around £43 million, considerably less than the £60 million-plus they would expect to receive for Bastoni.
The Italian source describes the idea as far from impossible — but stresses nothing has been agreed, and nothing is close.
For now, Arsenal's focus is entirely on Wembley.
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