Newcastle have entered Italy’s Riccardo Calafiori sweepstakes

The Athletic reports that Newcastle United has made inquiries regarding potential trade partner Riccardo Calafiori, an international defender for Italy.

Many teams are vying for the young Italy international, including West Ham, Brighton, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Chelsea. This is not good news for the Magpies, as they will need to overcome numerous opponents in order to sign him.

Calafiori made 38 appearances for Bologna in the previous season under head coach Thiago Motta. With the Italian national team, he is now in Germany for the European Championship. After Italy defeated Albania in MD1, it is expected that he will start against Spain in MD2.

Juventus is also interested in Calafiori, especially now that Motta has been named the team’s new manager. The defender might be brought to Turin for the forthcoming season.

The 21-year-old Calafiori started his career at the AS Roma junior program. He made his professional debut in 2020, but Jose Mourinho, the manager at the time, felt he wasn’t good enough and allowed a sale to occur. Bologna welcomed him in 2022.

Even though he had a major knee injury early in his career, Calafiori has made a name for himself as a flexible defender who can play both central and left back.

Newcastle United, which placed seventh in the Premier League the previous year, wants to enhance their defense, therefore they plan to add a few defenders to that group. The possible addition of Calafiori supports this objective.

Calafiori is a target for Bayern Munich and Manchester City, suggesting fierce rivalry for his signature at the very top of the European football league.

The transfer market started on June 14; however, Newcastle has already added former AFC Bournemouth center defender Lloyd Kelly to their roster. It is unclear which team will be able to sign Calafiori.

Calafiori would be a fantastic addition to the Magpies, but with the fierce competition, it seems more like a pipe dream than a realistic chance at this time.

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