Arsenal open talks over deal to sign Manuel Locatelli

Arsenal have made contact with Juventus to discuss a potential move for Manuel Locatelli as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his midfield in January, according to reports via The Sun. 

The Gunners were in the market for a central midfielder throughout the summer window as Arteta tried to add some much-needed depth in the middle of the park. Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka are the first choice regulars with Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny acting as back-up.

However, a serious injury to Elneny in late August meant Arsenal desperately tried to sign another midfielder during the closing stages of the window but they failed to get a deal over the line before the deadline.

Arteta is now planning ahead of the winter window and it seems he will once again try to bring in another midfielder with the Spanish coach already making moves in the market.

The Sun are citing a report from CalcioMercato that claims Arsenal have renewed their interest in signing Locatelli and have already made contact with Juventus to discuss the players situation.

Arsenal were strongly linked with Locatelli before he opted to join Juve in 2021 following his superb performances for Italy to help lead them to glory at the European Championships.

Struggles

The 24-year-old joined the Serie A giants on an initial two-year loan from Sassuolo in the summer of 2021 and they have an obligation to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.

However, Locatelli has failed to establish himself in Turin having struggled to hold down a first team place and he’ll fall further down the pecking order once Paul Pogba returns from injury.

The report suggests the Old Lady may be open to selling in January should a suitable offer arrive. Locatelli is currently valued at £31m by Transfermarkt but Arsenal may hope to drive that price down given his current situation at Juventus.

If Locatelli could rediscover his best form, he’d be an excellent addition to Arteta’s squad if Arsenal could get a deal agreed this winter. However, we’re still a long way from this being a ‘done deal’ so we’ll have to see how things progress over the coming months.