Juventus are keen to secure the signing of Manuel Locatelli and will meet with Sassuolo next week to discuss a deal.
The Italian has been given a court by Arsenal in recent weeks as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his midfield before the 2021/22 season, although Juve have not hidden any of their interest in the 23-year-old either.
The Gunners recently reported that they had matched Sassuolo’s valuation of Locatelli at € 40 million (and £ 34.2 million) and the move has only served to speed up Juventus’ hunt, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that manager Federico Cherubini will meet Giovanni Carnevali after the Euro 2020 final to discuss a deal.
Old Lady have been told that they will have to match Arsenal’s offer if they are to have any chance of landing the midfielder, a figure they are reportedly willing to pay despite their ongoing financial problems.
All other transactions they make in this transfer window will rely on them generating cash from player sales before the club’s hierarchy will sanction all newcomers.
Interest in Locatelli has only continued to grow after he showed at Euro 2020 this summer. The Sassuolo man played a key role in Gli Azzurri’s second victory of the tournament when he struck two impressive strikes to give his side a 2-0 lead against Switzerland.
Manuel Locatelli seems to be on his way out of Sassuolo / Emilio Andreoli / Getty Images
His campaign almost ended on a sour note after Unai Simon saved his penalty in Italy’s kick-off with Spain in the semi-final, although the subsequent miss from Dani Olmo and Gianluigi Donnarumma’s save from Alvaro Morata saved Locatelli’s blushes.
Despite impressing when he got the chance for Euro 2020, Locatelli has still not been able to cement his place in Roberto Mancini’s start XI and has found that his opportunities are limited to cameo roles from the bench since he started against Switzerland.
Still, he performed well when he got the chance and looks to be on the verge of securing a big money move this summer – whether it is Arsenal or Juventus.
