Following fears that a dispute between Bologna and Basel could have seen a deal break down, Arsenal are now believed to be on the verge of making their next marquee defensive signing.
The Gunners are now said to have struck an agreement to sign Rossoblu defender Riccardo Calafiori, who will arrive in North London in a deal worth an initial £33.7m, which could rise to £37.9m with add-ons.
A move to Juventus was originally believed to be on the cards for Calafiori, who was a cornerstone of Thiago Motta's Champions League-qualifying Bologna side last season, but the Old Lady have been pipped to the post.
The 22-year-old is already thought to have given the green light to a switch to North London some time ago, and as well as competing with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes for central minutes, he will also help to solve Mikel Arteta's left-back conundrum.
Ahead of Calafiori's arrival at the Emirates, Sports Mole looks at the shirt numbers that the Italy international could don for Arsenal.
© Reuters
Since rising to prominence at Basel, Calafiori has sported the number 33 shirt at club level, and it comes as little surprise to learn that the '33' is currently awaiting its next taker at Arsenal.
However, that jersey has typically been reserved for Gunners goalkeepers in the past; Arthur Okonkwo was the last to wear it, while Petr Cech, Matt Macey and Mathew Ryan have also sported the number 33 for the three-time Premier League winners.
Also worn for one season by mercurial Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner, the '33' is ready and waiting for Calafiori should he wish to stick, although he dons a more traditional defender's jersey for Italy.
Indeed, Calafiori was the Azzurri's number five during the futile defence of their Euro 2020 crown in Germany this summer, but that shirt has been in the possession of Thomas Partey at Arsenal for the past three years.
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There are no guarantees that Partey will still be at Arsenal by the time that the transfer window closes, though; the Ghana international is now in the last year of his contract and is still being tracked by teams in Saudi Arabia.
Even if Partey does stick around for another season, he is not expected to renew his deal, so Calafiori could very well wrestle the number five out of his grasp and follow in the footsteps of Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Kolo Toure.
Kieran Tierney's anticipated exit would also leave the number three - also worn by fellow left-backs Ashley Cole and Nigel Winterburn - vacant, while 16, 17, 23 and 25 have all been freed up by recent exits.
Calafiori briefly sported the '23' while in Roma's youth system, and that number was sported by Sol Campbell during Arsenal's Invincibles campaign of 2003-04, as well as Andrey Arshavin, David Luiz and the aforementioned Bendtner more recently.
Ben Knapton
![Italy's Riccardo Calafiori on June 24, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/11/29/1x1.gif?w=1&h=1 "Italy's Riccardo Calafiori on June 24, 2024 [IMAGO]")
