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Chelsea hopes to lure an Arsenal defender to Stamford Bridge, regardless of his £50 million price tag.

Chelsea is aware that to reach the level of the best on the continent, it needs to sign a top goalkeeper this summer and a couple of center-backs. For this latter task, it has set its sights on Riccardo Calafiori, who is not an undisputed starter at Arsenal.

At least on the pitch, Chelsea has one of the most exciting projects in European football, as demonstrated by those 75 minutes against Paris Saint-Germain last Wednesday, in which they went toe-to-toe with the current Champions League winner, until Jorgensen made a fatal error that triggered the final rout by Luis Enrique's men.

To compete with the continent's giants, the 'Blues' already have the structure in place, with world-class players in every line, but they lack a couple of defenders and a top goalkeeper. For the center of defense, they have set their sights on Calafiori, who would occupy the same profile as a Levi Colwill, who is not fully recovering properly from his knee injury.

Under normal circumstances, Calafiori would be untransferable, but this season he has lost the starting spot at left back in favor of Piero Hincapie, and if he is offered the chance to be the leader of a squad with a future as promising as Rosenior's, he could change neighborhoods in the city of London from one moment to the next, as 'Team Talk' has reported in recent hours.

Obviously, it would not be a cheap operation, but that is not a problem for a management team that spends left and right in every window without caring in the least about the consequences. Calafiori's value is estimated at over £50 million, and he would bring to Chelsea the character and leadership that are sometimes lacking in a group that is tremendously emotionally immature.

Since his high-profile signing for Arsenal in the summer of 2024, Calafiori has become a valuable rotational piece for Mikel Arteta, demonstrating versatility that allows him to shine both as a left-back and as a center-back.

So far in his time with the Gunners, the former Bologna player has accumulated nearly 50 appearances across all competitions, standing out especially in the Premier League, where he already has a goal remembered by fans at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City.

During the current 2025/26 campaign, the Azzurri international has maintained a notable level of consistency, adding one goal and two assists in the Premier League, and contributing three clean sheets in his league appearances.

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