Bolstering their backline with some Italian flair, Arsenal made an intriguing acquisition in the summer transfer window of 2024, confirming the capture of Riccardo Calafiori from Serie A outfit Bologna.
Not even two rumoured disputes over sell-on clauses - one between Bologna and Basel and another between Basel and Roma - could derail Arsenal's deal for the Italy international, who can play as both a centre-back and left-back with identical competence.
Calafiori's transfer to the Emirates - which could fetch up to £42m if all add-ons are hit - means that Arsenal now have two of the 10 most expensive Italian players in their ranks, the other being Jorginho, but what other Azzurri stars have commanded significant fees down the years?
Using data from Transfermarkt, Sports Mole looks at the highest-ever transfer fees paid for Italian players following Calafiori's North London switch.
10. Gianluca Scamacca (£32.5m | Sassuolo to West Ham United | 2022)
© Reuters
Arsenal were coincidentally one of the many clubs linked with a move for Gianluca Scamacca in 2022 after the Azzurri marksman lit up the Italian top flight with Sassuolo, who ultimately sold him to West Ham United for a little over £32m.
However, Scamacca's first and only campaign in English football was an extremely forgettable affair, as he managed an unspectacular eight goals in 27 games and started just 11 Premier League fixtures before being sidelined by knee surgery.
It took just 12 months for both player and club to accept that the transfer was a failure, and West Ham took a financial hit to offload him to Atalanta BC for £21.5m in 2023, but Scamacca managed to partially rediscover his prolific ways in Italy.
9. Federico Bernardeschi (£33.7m | Fiorentina to Juventus | 2017)
© Reuters
Federico Chiesa may be the first name that springs to mind when one thinks of an Italian winger moving to Juventus from Fiorentina, but Federico Bernardeschi also made that exact switch for almost £34m in the summer of 2017.
The attacker totalled over 180 appearances during his time in Turin, but he never really set the world alight and only managed an underwhelming tally of 12 goals and 24 assists, form which did not land him a single contract extension.
Bernardeschi ended up running down his contract and signing for MLS outfit Toronto on a free transfer in 2022, one year after helping Italy clinch the Euro 2020 crown, and his numbers have improved in North America.
8. Leonardo Bonucci (£35.4m | Juventus to AC Milan | 2017)
© Reuters
Largely remembered for his exploits in a Juventus and Italy jersey, Leonardo Bonucci also spent one season in the colours of AC Milan in the 2017-18 campaign, despite coming through the youth ranks of their bitter rivals Inter Milan.
The Rossoneri paid over £35m to bring Bonucci to San Siro, where he made 51 appearances across all competitions and chipped in with two goals in Serie A, but his Milan stay lasted all of 12 months; he subsequently returned to Juventus in a swap deal with Mattia Caldara.
The latter stages of Bonucci's career saw the centre-back achieve European stardom with Italy and try his hand at Bundesliga and Turkish football with Union Berlin and Fenerbahce, before hanging up his boots at the end of the 2023-24 season.
7. Federico Chiesa (£37.6m | Fiorentina to Juventus | 2022)
© Reuters
Federico Chiesa had already spent two seasons on loan at Juventus from Fiorentina before the Old Lady made his move permanent in the summer of 2022, one year after he dazzled crowds with his delightful dribbling at Euro 2020.
Chiesa's numbers in the Bianconeri strip were solid without ever entering spectacular territory, but injuries did not help the Italy international, whose future was often the subject of much debate.
A Premier League move had been mooted for Chiesa for some time, and after entering the last year of his Turin deal in 2024, the winger was sold to Liverpool for a mere £10m.
6. Marco Verratti (£37.9m | Paris Saint-Germain to Al-Arabi | 2023)
© Reuters
One of the silkiest midfielders in Europe on his day - as well as being a perpetual yellow-card magnet - Marco Verratti was a cornerstone of the Paris Saint-Germain engine room for 11 years before bidding an emotional farewell to the Parc des Princes.
Even in the Italian's advancing years, Les Parisiens made a healthy profit by selling Verratti to Qatari outfit Al-Arabi for £37.9m in the summer of 2023, as the midfielder jetted off to the Middle East with nine Ligue 1 winners' medals in his suitcase.
Verratti left with 416 PSG appearances to his name - the third most in the history of the capital giants - and he quickly made his presence felt in Qatar, setting up seven goals in his first Qatar Stars League campaign.
5. Riccardo Calafiori (£37.9m | Bologna to Arsenal | 2024)
© Imago
While Arsenal may end up shelling out around £42m for their shiny new toy Calafiori, the Gunners have paid an upfront fee of £37.9m for the defender, putting him fifth on this list for the time being.
Calafiori earned his marquee Premier League move on the back of playing a pivotal role in Bologna's shock Champions League qualification, form which made him a Luciano Spalletti favourite for Euro 2024.
In Germany, the defender provided the assist for Mattia Zaccagni's astonishing late equaliser against Croatia in the group phase, but he missed the last-16 clash with Switzerland through suspension, as the defending champions were sent crashing out.
4. Christian Vieri (£39.2m | Lazio to Inter Milan | 1999)
© Imago
By the time Christian Vieri joined Inter Milan in a big-money switch from Lazio in 1999, the former Azzurri attacker was already a well-travelled striker, having represented the likes of Atalanta BC, Juventus and Atletico Madrid.
Vieri's San Siro switch was a world-record transfer fee at the time, and the prolific forward enjoyed six productive seasons in the Nerazzurri kit, where he struck an eye-catching 123 goals in 190 appearances.
However, Vieri only won one major honour with Inter, the 2004-05 Coppa Italia, which came just a matter of weeks before he mutually terminated his deal and joined rivals Milan on a free transfer.
3. Gianluigi Buffon (£44.6m | Parma to Juventus | 2001)
© Reuters
For a staggering 15 years, legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon held the honour of being Juventus' most expensive signing in history, arriving for just shy of £45m from Parma in the summer of 2021.
Little more needs to be said about Buffon's illustrious spell with the Old Lady, whom he remained loyal to during their scandal and demotion to Serie B in 2006, before tearfully departing after 17 seasons for Paris Saint-Germain in 2018.
Buffon's Juventus chapter was not fully closed, though - the World Cup winner returned for another two seasons in between the posts from 2019 to 2021 and also enjoyed a Parma swansong before retiring in 2023, at the age of 45.
2. Jorginho (£48m | Napoli to Chelsea | 2018)
© Reuters
Calafiori's new teammate in North London, Jorginho spent his prime years in a blue strip rather than the red he currently dons, swapping Napoli for Chelsea in a £48m transaction in the summer of 2018.
The lynchpin's style and suitability to the Premier League was often called into question, but within the space of a few months in 2021, he conquered Europe twice, once with Chelsea in the Champions League and again with Italy under the Wembley arch.
Now one of the experienced heads in the Arsenal team - where he occasionally chips in with an incredibly composed midfield performance - Jorginho has helped to bed Calafiori into Mikel Arteta's ranks as seamlessly as possible.
1. Sandro Tonali (£53.9m | AC Milan to Newcastle United | 2023)
© Reuters
The standout arrival at St James' Park in the summer of 2023, Sandro Tonali became the first Italian player to command a transfer fee of £50m or more when Newcastle United forked out the big bucks to buy him out of his AC Milan contract.
Hailed as one of the brightest midfield prospects coming out of his country, Tonali quickly earned the trust of Eddie Howe, only for off-the-field indiscretions to devastate his debut season in the Premier League.
Owing to a 10-month suspension for illegal gambling activity, Tonali only played 12 times for the Magpies in 2023-24 and also has a separate two-month suspended ban lingering over his head, but Italy's most expensive footballer of all time returned to action at the start of 2024-25.
Ben Knapton
