Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund are the favourites to sign Manuel Locatelli for €40M ahead of Juventus
Juventus could face competition from Arsenal & Borussia Dortmund to sign Manuel Locatelli this summer. Arsenal are in talks to sign the 23-year-old Italian. Juventus are facing serious competition for the signature of Italy and Sassuolo star Manuel Locatelli, with Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund stepping up their interest in the 23-year-old. Arsenal are interested in signing him having made enquiries, and links have been around for most of the window, but it’s widely accepted that Turin is his next destination.
According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, the situation is as it was last week with Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund informing the club, they are ready to pay Sassuolo’s €40m (cash upfront) asking price. Juventus, meanwhile won’t pay over €30m are are trying to involve one of their youngsters as makeweight to get the deal over the line.
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Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund show interest in Manuel Locatelli
Italian journalists Gianluca Di Marzio and Francesco Cossati expect the 23-year-old to be wearing black and white next season, and even if a Juventus move does fall through, the likelihood of European football-less Arsenal jumping ahead of the queue seems like a stretch, even if they do have the money to invest ahead of next season’s Premier League.
Sassuolo want the €40m transfer fee in cash, rather than in the form of any swap deals. Juve are believed to have already Offered 30m plus Romanian starlet Radu Dragusin, but Sassuolo are not interested in such deals.
According to Calciomercato, Juve offered even more players to Sassuolo to choose, when both clubs spoke about Manuel Locatelli yesterday. The report says the Bianconeri gave them the choice of also getting Nicolo Fagioli and Felix Correia and they are evaluating moves for them.
Sky Sports Italia says that Sassuolo want 40M euros for Locatelli. However, any deal is also likely to include a player going in the opposite direction.
Arsenal’s search for a potential replacement for Granit Xhaka has created links with various targets across Europe. The Switzerland captain has two years left on his deal but has been strongly linked with a move to AC Roma after his campaign at UEFA Euro 2020 ends. Arsenal and Roma are yet to agree on a fee, but it is understood that personal terms have already been agreed.
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Manuel Locatelli has been one of the names mentioned since the Euros began. The 23-year-old midfielder performed well for Sassuolo last season, grabbing four goals and three assists. The 23-year-old is currently in the EUROS where he emerged as one of the shining stars for his country scoring 2 twice in Italy’s 3-0 win against Switzerland.
Arsenal are looking to add depth in their midfield after Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi were out on loan last season and will likely have no future at the Emirates. Meanwhile, Granit Xhaka is a top target for Roma. Manuel Locatelli was an AC Milan academy graduate since joining the club at the age of 17.
Manuel Locatelli established himself as one of the best players outside of Serie A’s top seven clubs since joining Sassuolo in 2018. He left Milan in 2018 to join Sassuolo on loan with an obligation to buy. He went there on loan originally and the move became permanent after one year.
According to the Pink newspaper, Massimiliano Allegri is dreaming of signing one of two major stars. Reports suggest that Allegri wishes to bring Paul Pogba back at the club or their long-time target Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. However, Pogba has been linked with an extraordinary exchange deal that would see Cristiano Ronaldo return to Manchester United. However, such a deal looks unlikely as The Red devils are focused on bringing Jadon Sancho at Old Trafford.
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