Juventus chief makes Riccardo Calafiori transfer 'regret' claim after £42m Arsenal deal

Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has explained the "regret" of Italian clubs allowing Riccardo Calafiori to join Arsenal.

The Gunners agreed a deal worth up to £42million to sign Calafiori from Bologna during the summer transfer window. Calafiori has made five appearances so far for Arsenal in the summer, scoring his first goal in sublime fashion with the equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend.

A host of clubs were linked with signing Calafiori before the 22-year-old decided to join Arsenal, including Juventus, but it was the Gunners who won the race to sign the highly-rated defender.

Giuntoli spoke about the decision by Calafiori to leave his homeland to move to North London. The Juventus chief did not confirm or deny if the Serie A club were looking to sign the centre-back but expressed his concern about one of Italy's most talented young defenders leaving the country to move to the Premier League.

"It's a regret for all of Italian football, not Juventus," Giuntoli told Corriere della Sera when asked about Calafiori's move to Arsenal.

"We need to question ourselves about not having had the strength to keep a player of his calibre in Italy. The big teams have all taken a defender, not him".

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Calafiori was one of seven summer signings completed by Arsenal. The Italian was joined by David Raya, Mikel Merino, Tommy Setford and Lucas Nygaard, as well as Raheem Sterling and Neto, who both moved to the Emirates Stadium on loan from Chelsea and Bournemouth, respectively.

Juventus chose to prioritise the strengthening of their midfield during the summer transfer window, with Douglas Luiz, Khephren Thuram and Teun Koopmeiners all moving to Turin. The only defender to sign for the Serie A club was Pierre Kalulu on loan from AC Milan, which also includes the option of a permanent deal.