Mikel Arteta drops major Riccardo Calafiori transfer hint as 'aggressive' Arsenal tactics revealed

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has dropped a major transfer hint as links to Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori continue to swirl.

The Gunners invested heavily in their squad last season with the likes of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and David Raya all arriving through the door.

Sadly for them, they fell short once again to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side in the race for the Premier League title, as they lifted the trophy for the fourth season in a row.

Sporting director Edu will be tasked with bolstering the Gunners' squad once again this summer in a bid to go one step further in the 2024/25 campaign.

Given how well Arsenal performed defensively last season and a need for more x-factor in attack, most fans assumed the transfer strategy would focus primarily on a new striker in the coming months.

However, news has since emerged that the club have entered negotiations with Bologna to sign Italy's Euro 2024 star Riccardo Calafiori.

According to Fabrizio Romano, both Arsenal and Chelsea are 'interested' in the defender, with the Gunners having stolen a march in the race for his signature.

While Calafiori played the majority of his football for Bologna at centre-back last season, he has played on the left-hand side of a defence previously and it is understood this is where Arsenal will look to field him if their pursuit is successful.

Calafiori- Getty

Arteta spoke for the first time about his side's transfer plans this summer in an interview with ESPN, saying: "We are looking to improve in every possible department. With the new regulations, there are certain things we have to respect and be conscious of and then obviously the Euros and Copa América are slowing everything down.

"Hopefully now it is going to pick up a little bit because we have things to go and we will try to provide that.

"[How active do we expect to be?] I think both ways. There are things that we have to improve, that's for sure and we are going to try to do. But the market is tricky. We have been very aggressive, we are very determined and we have a clear idea obviously of what we want to do. It will come down to finding the right agreements at the right time."