Shortly after Juventus received a decisive boost in their pursuit of Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori, there’s another twist to the tale. According to reports from TuttoJuve, Manchester United have joined the Bianconeri in the race for the Italy international.
Despite scoring an own goal against Spain, Calafiori has enjoyed a stellar start to Italy’s Euro 2024 campaign. His performances for Luciano Spalletti’s side have grabbed the attention of numerous clubs. Juventus are the 22-year-old’s long-term admirers.
However, they’ve not been decisive enough and could pay a hefty price for that hesitance. Juventus have made clear they won’t meet Bologna’s initial €25 million asking price. Only two games at the Euros have been enough for Calafiori’s stock to skyrocket.
Bologna will now aim for around €40m. That would inflict a knockout blow on the Turin giants’ hopes of luring the ex-Basel man to the Allianz Stadium. On the other hand, Manchester United would have no problems meeting the Rossoblu’s demands.
Luckily for Juventus, Calafiori isn’t the Red Devils’ prime objective. Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite is Erik ten Hag’s dream signing. But talks with the Toffees aren’t going to plan, with the Merseyside outfit sticking to their staggering €100m valuation of the prodigious Englishman.
Unless they can bring the price down, Manchester United could turn to Calafiori. With that in mind, Juventus may need to step up their effort to sign the Italian. Using Moise Kean as a makeweight in a deal could be a decent bargaining chip if Joshua Zirkzee leaves Bologna.
Yet, time is of the essence.
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