Arsenal have reportedly dismissed any suggestion of selling defender Riccardo Calafiori this summer, despite a host of Italian clubs monitoring his situation at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal Transfer News: Arteta Labels Calafiori ‘Not for Sale’

The 23-year-old Italy international has made 57 competitive appearances for the Gunners since arriving from Bologna at the start of last season.

With three years still remaining on his current contract, Calafiori’s long-term future appears to lie in North London.

According to TEAMtalk, Serie A pace-setters Inter Milan lead a quartet of Italian giants keeping a close eye on the defender.

Local rivals AC Milan are also tracking his progress, while Napoli and Juventus are monitoring developments as they prepare for the summer transfer window.

However, reports indicate that Arsenal have “little intention” of sanctioning a sale.

Manager Mikel Arteta and newly appointed sporting director Andrea Berta are in complete agreement regarding the club’s transfer stance; Calafiori is not for sale.

From the player’s perspective, the former Roma youth product is happy with life in England. He has settled well into the squad and has no desire to force a move back to his homeland during the upcoming window.

Arteta values Calafiori highly due to his tactical flexibility. The defender can operate comfortably both as a central defender and as an inverted left-back, making him a useful asset in the squad rotation.

That said, competition for places has intensified following the arrival of Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen last summer.

While Calafiori is not a guaranteed starter, he remains above youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly in the pecking order. He continues to see regular minutes and is content with his current role, even if he does not always make the starting eleven.

While a move to a club like Inter or AC Milan might offer him more guaranteed playing time, Arsenal consider him a vital part of the squad moving forward. For now, the Gunners remain firm: Calafiori is going nowhere.

Mikel Arteta launched a scathing critique of his Arsenal players following a frustrating 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, accusing them of a “lack of urgency” that allowed the hosts to score from a set-piece.

‘We Weren’t Ready’: Arteta Fumes at Players After Costly Set-Piece Error

The Gunners fell behind shortly after half-time when Robert Andrich converted from a corner. The goal stung Arteta particularly hard, as his team usually dominates dead-ball situations.

The Spaniard did not hold back in his post-match assessment, insisting the lapse was inexcusable because the coaching staff had specifically prepared the squad for it.

“There are always two sides to that,” Arteta fumed.

“One is the element of the opponent that they picked that weakness, and that lack of attention or urgency in both situations.

The other one is us, because we knew. We showed them three clips from last weekend in three different ways, and we weren’t ready for it, and we got caught.”

Despite struggling to break down the Leverkusen defense for much of the second half, Arsenal snatched a lifeline late on.

Substitute Noni Madueke won a penalty, and Kai Havertz stepped up to confidently convert against his former club.

Arteta praised the forward’s composure on a special night, acknowledging the narrative of his return.

However, the manager also had to defend his decision to substitute Bukayo Saka while chasing the game.

He explained that the tactical tweak was necessary to provide a different threat, and it paid off when Madueke earned the crucial spot-kick.

“I thought that we needed something else,” Arteta explained.

“Noni has been contributing and being a real threat, and I decided to make the change.

No surprise at all because that’s his biggest quality. He’s very brave, and to have a player with that ability step in the manner that he did is big credit to him.”

The late penalty from Havertz ensures the tie remains finely balanced ahead of the return leg at the Emirates Stadium.

While the result offers a lifeline, Arteta made it clear that the performance level, specifically the defensive concentration, must improve drastically if they hope to advance.