Arsenal rocked as Mourinho instructs Real Madrid to sign £42m Gunners ace after Konate, Dumfries

Jose Mourinho has ordered Real Madrid to sign a third defender after Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries, and he plays for Arsenal, according to two reporters.

Real Madrid identified their rearguard as the most urgent issue to resolve in the summer transfer window. Incoming boss Jose Mourinho always likes to work with a solid defence, and the twin signings of Konate and Dumfries have already been sealed.

Konate is leaving Liverpool via free agency, meaning Ream Madrid aren’t paying a transfer fee. The Frenchman has agreed a four-year contract at the Bernabeu, and that move will be ratified after the upcoming presidential elections at Real.Netherlands veteran Dumfries, 30, is also joining. Real have triggered the €20m release clause in his contract at Inter Milan. Both his and Konate’s deals have been given Fabrizio Romano’s signature ‘here we go’ confirmation.

However, there’s one more deal in defence Mourinho wants to make, and that’s where Arsenal factor in.

Jose Mourinho asks Real Madrid to sign Arsenal ace

Two Spanish reporters, Ramon Alvarez de Mon and Sergio Valentin, have declared Mourinho wants Riccardo Calafiori next.

When declaring which ‘reinforcements’ Mourinho asked for after agreeing to become Real’s manager, Valentin wrote on X: ‘Dumfries, Konate, CALAFIORI.’

He added: ‘He’d like Bernardo Silva, but there’s a lot of competition. He likes Mateus Fernandes…’

The ease in which Real have wrapped up moves for Dumfries and Konate could give cause for concern at the Emirates given Calafiori is reportedly next on the shopping list.

de Mon also took to X when stating: ‘Mourinho has asked Real Madrid to explore the option of signing Calafiori. He likes the Italian’s versatility (center-back-left-back).’

Calafiori cost Arsenal £42m (add-ons included) when arriving from Bologna two summers ago.

He’s not always a regular starter in Mikel Arteta’s backline, though given the sheer number of high calibre options Arteta possesses, there’s no shame in that.

Calafiori competes with Piero Hincapie and Myles Lewis-Skelly for starts at left-back and rarely ever gets a look-in at centre-back with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes locking up the two spots.

The Italian was overlooked for selection in the Champions League final, with Hincapie given the nod at left-back and playing the full 120 minutes.

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Arsenal stance on selling Riccardo Calafiori

TEAMtalk brought news on Arsenal’s stance on cashing in on Calafiori earlier in 2026. At the time in March, there was talk of a return to Italy this summer by way of Napoli, AC Milan, Inter Milan or Juventus.

Transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, revealed Arsenal have been ‘clear’ with their stance – Calafiori is NOT for sale.

There has been nothing since then to suggest that stance has softened, and given Calafiori is contracted to the Gunners until 2029, they’re under no pressure to sell.

As such, the only way Mourinho might get his wish appears to be the player himself agitating for a move and forcing Arsenal’s hand, which obviously has not happened yet.

But when the lure of joining Real Madrid is present, no transfer is impossible.

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