Liverpool given 'green light' to sign 22-year-old who impressed at Euro 2024: Reports
Liverpool have reportedly been given the green light to submit a bid for Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori this summer. It comes in the wake of the player's impressive performance at the ongoing Euro 2024 with Italy, who crashed out in the Round of 16 with a 2-0 defeat to Switzerland on Saturday (June 29).
The 22-year-old centre-back made a very good impression of himself despite Italy bowing out of the competition in the round of 16, following a 2:0 defeat to Switzerland.
As expected, Calafiori is already attracting interest from a couple of top clubs, both home and abroad. According to the Mirror, his club side, Bologna, could be open to selling him to a Premier League team.
Liverpool are one of the foreign clubs that hold a strong interest in the left-footed centre-back, who can also operate as a left-back. Bologna's willingness to do a deal with an overseas club could give room for the Reds to submit an offer for the defender.
Calafiori is on Liverpool's transfer wishlist, as they are reportedly keen on adding a left-footed centre-back to Arne Slot's squad this summer. The Reds sporting director is also believed to be a huge fan of Calafiori and has been keeping tabs on the defender since his time with Bournemouth.
Meanwhile, Liverpool aren't expected to have a free run at Calafiori this summer, as the likes of Juventus, Arsenal and Chelsea are believed to be keen on signing the Italian as well.
It will be interesting to see if the Reds will eventually succeed in landing the highly rated Italian defender this summer.
Bologna sporting director expects Liverpool transfer target's Calafiori's value to skyrocket after Euro display
Performances at big tournaments can positively impact a player's transfer value, and that could be the case with Liverpool target Calafiori. The 22-year-old centre-back enjoyed a relatively decent outing with Italy, who crashed out of the Euro 2024 competition in the Round of 16.
Bologna's sporting director, Marco Di Vaio, believes that Calafiori's performance at the tournament could increase his transfer value amid interest from a couple of top clubs this summer. He said as quoted by the Mirror:
"It is confirmation that Bologna is working well and doing the right things. It is not a surprise to us. We know Calafiori well and we have been following him for years. The European Championships will have a significant boost on his value but the intention is to keep all of our players, including Calafiori."
Recent reports put forward by the Mirror suggest that Bologna could demand a fee in excess of £40 million for the defender. It will be interesting to see if Calafiori's value will skyrocket astronomically amid interest from the likes of Liverpool and Juventus.