Tottenham, Man Utd to be gifted great signings as Italian club tees up huge €100m triple sale

Riccardo Calafiori warms up before Bologna game

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are the Premier League clubs who could benefit amid claims Bologna will engineer a fire sale this summer, with Joshua Zirkzee among the trio set to be on the move.

Netherlands U21 striker Zirkzee has done brilliantly when leading Bologna’s forward line this season, despite the fact he is only 22 years old. He has managed nine goals and six assists in 24 games so far, which includes two assists as Bologna beat Sassuolo 4-2 over the weekend.

Zirkzee decided to swap Bayern Munich for Bologna in August 2022 to play regularly at senior level, and he has certainly put himself in the shop window for major clubs.

Several outlets have named him as a target for Man Utd minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The British billionaire is hopeful that Zirkzee can form a lethal strike partnership with current forward Rasmus Hojlund.

It now looks like Zirkzee might come up against one of his Bologna team-mates in the Premier League next term.

According to Italian outlet Corriere di Bologna (as cited by Get Football News Italy), fellow Bologna star Riccardo Calafiori is wanted by Tottenham.

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Calafiori is a 21-year-old centre-half who can additionally play as a left-back or left wing-back. After spells at Roma and FC Basel, he landed at Bologna in August.

The Italy U21 international has since established as a vital player for Bologna, having played at least 80 minutes in each of their Serie A games since late September.

Tottenham in for Bologna star

According to WhoScored, he has been Bologna’s best defender this season, with an average rating of 6.76. Calafiori registers more interceptions than any other Bologna player, with an average of 1.8 per game. This shows his willingness to step out from the backline and win possession, similar to current Tottenham man Cristian Romero.

Tottenham have already raided Serie A for a new defender once this year, having spent £25.7m to sign Radu Dragusin from Genoa. He will provide cover and competition for Romero on the right side of central defence.

But with Ben Davies now 30 and heading into the twilight years of his career, Spurs feel Ange Postecoglou could do with having another left-sided centre-half to deputise for Micky van de Ven. This is where Calafiori comes in.

The North London side are not alone in pursuing Calafiori, as he is also wanted by Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli.

The report adds that Bologna are hoping to make more than €100m (£85m) when selling key players Zirkzee, Calafiori and Lewis Ferguson. The latter has emerged as a prime target for Juve in recent months.