Arsenal are set to bolster their squad by signing Italy international Riccardo Calafiori, but they are likely to sacrifice one of their first-team defenders in order to make room

Arsenal's move to sign Bologna's Riccardo Calafiori would likely see 'popular' defender Jakub Kiwior leave the club amid interest from Italy.

After a stellar Euro 2024 campaign, Italy's centre-half Calafiori suddenly became a man in demand. He has received interest from all over Europe, namely from several Premier League clubs.

Mikel Arteta's side look set to win the race for him, however, and a fee is to be discussed this week. The idea is that Calafiori can join the squad before they set off on their pre-season tour of the USA.

As with many incomings, outgoings are inevitable. According to The Athletic, Arsenal will likely offload one of their defenders to make room for the Italian, and Kiwior is reportedly the prime candidate, despite his supposed 'popularity' at the club.

Calafiori would have caught Arsenal's eye at Euro 2024, as he impressed for a poor Italian side who were knocked out by Switzerland in the round of 16. And Kiwior looks set to be replaced by the in-form defender, despite only signing for Arsenal during 2023's January window.

When Kiwior was linked with a move away in March, Arteta said: "We have made it difficult for him for two reasons. One, because he hasn't played that many minutes, and the second one because we asked him to play in a position that he's never played in before.

Kiwior only joined Arsenal on January 2023, but has impressed under Arteta ( Image:

Michael Zemanek/REX/Shutterstock) "So it's like putting William Saliba as a full-back, and saying, 'There we go, tomorrow go and perform and do what we have to do!' It's all about (adapting to players needs).

"In the end you can't ask players to do things that they don't feel especially capable of doing in a natural way, so we have to tweak a few things to make sure that the players play to their strengths."

Calafiori's arrival could spell the end of Kiwior's time at Arsenal ( Image:

Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock) Another player who could be on the chopping block is Oleksandr Zinchenko. Valued at PS38million by the Gunners, it is reported that Kiwior remains more likely to be the one who goes due to him gathering more interest than the Ukrainian.

Both AC Milan and Inter are said to have shown an interest in the Polish defender, whom Arsenal value at PS12.5million - a fee that would see them make a near PS8million loss on their January signing.

Despite having only spent a season and a half at the Emirates, should Calafiori's move be made official, Kiwior could see himself out of game time and waving goodbye to north London.