Riccardo Calafiori has been left out of Bologna’s squad for a pre-season training camp as he is close to a move to Arsenal.
The Gunners are close to signing the Italian defender in a deal worth around £40 million.
Transfer talks progressed over the weekend and on Monday morning Bologna confirmed that Calafiori will not be part of the squad taking part in a pre-season camp in South Tyrol in north-eastern Italy.
The Serie A team will travel there on Monday evening for a training camp that will last until August 3, but Calafiori was not among the players traveling with them.
Arsenal are pushing ahead with a deal for the 22-year-old after rebuffing interest from Juventus and other Premier League clubs.
Calafiori will provide competition to the Arsenal squad as a left-back and in central defence.
The Gunners have already strengthened their squad this summer by signing goalkeeper David Raya on a permanent loan from Brentford for £27 million.
The club also signed fellow goalkeeper Tommy Setford on Sunday, who joined from Ajax for a transfer fee of less than one million pounds.
Calafiori would be a notable signing from Arsenal given the defender’s impressive performance at Euro 2024.
This run came after a strong season in Serie A, in which the former Basel player helped Bologna secure the Champions League title.
Follow the latest Arsenal transfer news and rumours
At the beginning of the summer, it was believed that Calafiori would move to Juventus and team up with his old boss Thiago Motta, but now Arsenal have given him the nod.
Calafiori will be the second Bologna player to move to the Premier League this summer after Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee joined Manchester United for £36.5m last week.
