Arsenal
Chief confirms Arsenal have made “official bid” to sign £34m international star
Arsenal have made an “official bid” to sign Manuel Locatelli but Juventus are also chasing the Sassuolo midfielder this summer
Sassuolo chief executive Giovanni Carnevali has confirmed Arsenal have made an “official bid” to sign midfielder Manuel Locatelli but face competition from Juventus, according to The Athletic.
Mikel Arteta is looking to overhaul his squad this summer after Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League last season and midfield is going to be a particular area of concern for the Spanish coach.
Granit Xhaka is being tipped for a move to Italy, Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard have returned to Real Madrid while the likes of Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Joe Willock are also expected to depart over the coming weeks.
It means Arsenal are looking to bring in a couple of new central midfielders and they’re reportedly on the verge of signing Anderlecht youngster Albert Lokonga but it appears Arteta also has his eyes on Locatelli.
The 23-year-old has been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium with the Daily Star citing a report from Gazzetta dello Sport last week that claimed Arsenal have submitted a formal offer for the midfielder.
Sassuolo chief executive Giovanni Carnevali has now confirmed Arsenal’s “official bid” and describes it as an “important” offer. However, Carnevali also revealed that Juventus are in the running to sign Locatelli and will hold further talks about a possible deal soon.
Carnevali is quoted by The Athletic as saying:
“It’s true that there are foreign clubs interested, including Arsenal, and so far they are ahead,”
“Arsenal have made an official bid for Locatelli. They’re pushing hard to sign Manuel and it’s an important bid. We will see.”
“Juventus are the only Italian club we talked to about Locatelli. They have interest, we spoke to (club director Federico) Cherubini last week.
“We have not yet discussed the financial details, but we have a good rapport and will talk it over soon.”
Carnevali didn’t disclose how much Arsenal’s offer is worth but the Daily Mail suggests that Sassuolo have slapped a £34m asking price on Locatelli’s head so you’d expect the bid to be in that region if the Gunners want to get a deal agreed.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop as Juventus are also showing a keen interest but Locatelli would be a superb signing for Arsenal if they could win the race for his signature this summer.
Locatelli has become a key player for Sassuolo since arriving from AC Milan in 2018 and he’s also established himself in the Italian team having helped his country reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.
The midfielder is known for his work-rate, passing range and ability to carry the ball forwards so he’d be an excellent replacement for Xhaka at the Emirates if Arteta was able to lure him to north London.
