The transfer window is heating up after a few weeks of relative quiet.
On the back of another Premier League campaign in which they almost dethroned Manchester City, Arsenal have already announced their first signing, 18-year-old Lucas Nygaard, and have been linked to practically every striker under the sun as it's one of the obvious areas in the team that could be improved.
However, one of the most recent players touted for a move to N5 has been Italy and Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori.
The 22-year-old looks to be one of the most exciting young centre-backs around at the moment, and while he'd likely be a brilliant addition to the Gunners' backline, they already have someone playing there who is worth considerably more.
William Saliba's Arsenal career
The star in question is the one and only William Saliba, who has established himself as one of the leading centre-backs in the Premier League in just two seasons of first-team football. However, his future didn't always seem so inevitable.
Just over five years ago, Arsenal paid Saint-Étienne a fee of around £27m for the then highly sought-after 18-year-old centre-back, and opted to send him back to the French outfit for the 2019/20 campaign to further develop.
The following summer saw the Bondy-born gem return to England, but after being left out of the competitive squads, he was sent back to France to join Nice on loan in January, leading to speculation over his future in North London.
This speculation only increased the following season when he was sent back to his home country for a third campaign on the bounce to join Ligue 1 giants Marseille, where he thrived.
In all, he made 52 appearances for Les Phocéens, won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season Award, and looked, for all intents and purposes, like he would stay on the French Riviera permanently at one point.
Appearances
36
22
52
83
Goals
0
1
0
5
Assists
0
0
0
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.00
0.04
0.00
0.08
However, once the season ended, and he returned to England, he was finally given a chance to prove his worth in red and white.
His competitive debut for the Gunners came in the opening game of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, a game away to Crystal Palace, and, thanks to a stellar performance, he won the Player of the Match award.
From that point onward, the 6 foot 4 titan went from strength to strength and became arguably the most important player on the team, so much so that it was his injury against Sporting CP that signalled the end of Arsenal's surprise title challenge. To reflect his massive contribution, he was awarded a new contract last summer.
It was more of the same last season. With no injury concerns, the French international started 100% of league games and played 100% of league minutes for Arteta as the team once again came agonizingly close to ending the club's two-decade title drought.
Saliba's impressive rise to the top and his brilliant performances at the Euros have seen his valuation soar in recent years. His potential impact on the team is immense, and while Calafiori would be an exciting addition to the defence, his valuation is nowhere near that of the Arsenal star.
Saliba's valuation in 2024
If Arsenal want to secure Calafiori's signature ahead of the chasing pack this summer, it will cost them around £40m to do so, and while that is undoubtedly a significant sum of money, it is still significantly less than the price tag on Saliba's head.
According to Transfermarkt, the "world-class" centre-back, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, is worth around €80m, which converts to about £68m, or a cool £28m more than the Italian's potential transfer fee.
Now, considering the importance of the Frenchman to Arsenal's success and the willingness of clubs to spend exorbitant fees on players, you could argue that Transfermarkt have been quite conservative with their valuation there.
Moreover, with reports that Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and even Real Madrid are all interested in luring the 23-year-old away from North London, it seems unlikely that the Gunners would accept any offers of around £68m, especially when there are still three years remaining on his £190k-per-week contract.
Ultimately, Calafiori would be an exciting signing, but Arsenal are already incredibly fortunate to have one of the Premier League's best centre-backs in Saliba.
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