Tottenham want to sign 21-year-old defender who once said he dreams of playing for Chelsea

Add as preferred source on Google

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Bologna centre-back Riccardo Calafiori.

Spurs have made a habit of snapping up Serie A’s best talents in recent years, with Radu Dragusin the latest to make the switch to North London from Italy. 

The likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario have all excelled since swapping Serie A for the Premier League. 

Spurs’ latest addition delivered that much-needed central defender for Ange Postecoglou. But according to reports in Italy, Tottenham also hold an interest in signing Riccardo Calafiori. 

Tottenham keen on Calafiori

Quotidiano Sport reports that Tottenham have made contact over the possibility of signing Calafiori. 

Tutto Bologna Web also claims that Spurs have even asked about signing the Italian defender, with Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli also keen. 

Calafiori has been ever-present for Bologna this term, racking up 17 appearances in Serie A.

The 21-year-old returned to Italy last summer after leaving AS Roma for FC Basel in 2022. 

Despite his impressive displays, Tottenham fans won’t be delighted to hear that he once admitted he dreams of playing for two of their biggest rivals.

“The future? I have two images in my mind: going back to Italy, perhaps back to Roma, or my other dream which would be to play in the Premier League. I really like West Ham or Chelsea.” as quoted by Roma Press. 

The Italy U21 international did say this over a year ago now though and that is unlikely to put Spurs off if they are indeed interested in signing him.

We’ve seen plenty of players with questionable allegiances play for Spurs, including the likes of Matt Doherty and Darren Bent, who both support Arsenal.