Arsenal make £86m transfer decision as stance on move clear amid triple swoop

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Riccardo Calafiori will not be heading to Real Madrid from Arsenal . That's considering sporting director Andrea Berta slapped a minimum £86million price tag on the Italian defender.

One of the most coveted defenders on the continent, Calafiori has been attracting interest from Los Blancos over recent weeks following a stunning Premier League title-winning campaign with the Gunners. However, Marc Cucurella's £52m switch to the Bernabeu, combined with a £78m bid for Manchester City's Ruben Dias , has taken a sizeable chunk out of Real's transfer war chest.

Despite landing Ibrahima Konate from Liverpool on a free transfer, the centre-back's wages will further eat into whatever remaining budget is at Jose Mourinho's disposal. With £130million already committed should the Dias deal cross the line, Arsenal's valuation of Calafiori may simply prove too steep, particularly with reinforcements still required in other positions across the pitch.

Having already shored up their defensive options, Real could instead turn their attention to strengthening their midfield and attack, with several players recently touted as potential targets for a move to Spain .

Scott McTominay's availability is said to be on their radar following two impressive seasons with Napoli, while Nico Paz could be brought back from Como given the club retain a £51million buyback clause for the attacking midfielder.

Bids for Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, Lille's Ayyoub Boaddi and Nordsjælland's Caleb Yirenkyi have also been mooted, alongside potential moves for Freiburg's Johan Manzambi and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez.

While Aurelien Tchouameni's long-term future at his current club remains uncertain and could bolster transfer coffers, any sale of the Frenchman would most likely be reinvested in finding a direct replacement rather than financing improvements elsewhere.

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This comes as Arsenal are yet to conduct any business in the summer transfer window so far, though they appear increasingly likely to trigger their £45m option to make Piero Hincapie's loan move from Bayer Leverkusen permanent.

However, that hasn't stopped the rumour mill from spinning regarding potential summer acquisitions at the Emirates. With Sandro Tonali's situation at Newcastle United up in the air, Arsenal are believed to have thrown their hat into the ring for the Italian midfielder, alongside Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City .

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His current club, however, value him at over £100m, meaning any potential deal will not come at a bargain price. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta's men have also been linked with Juventus starlet Kenan Yildiz, PSG sensation Bradley Barcola and Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, amongst others.

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