In a recent report, Tuttomercatoweb has claimed that Manchester City are among several clubs hoping to recruit Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo this summer. It is understood that Man City will face competition in the form of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus in pursuit of the Italian midfield ace during this summer transfer period (via Tuttomercatoweb).
Locatelli’s Excellent Season At Mapei Stadium
The Lecco-born sensation experienced a solid season in Italian football as he managed to establish himself as an influential member of Sassuolo’s midfield. Locatelli has taken part in 34 matches for the Italian outfit this term, netting four goals and grabbing three assists across various competitions.
The 23-year-old has influenced the game at both ends of the field by averaging 2.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 1.7 clearances, 1.2 shots, 1.1 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game in Serie A football this season. He has even been careful when distributing possession from midfield based on his pass completion rate of 88.3% in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
Locatelli has shown some promising signs with his performances for his current employers over the past ten months. Hence, it is no surprise that so many top clubs, including Man City, are hoping to move in for him in this off-season.
Will Locatelli Be The Right Fit For Man City?
Locatelli has good defensive awareness and has shown a lot of hunger to win the ball back for his team. He can clear his lines when in danger of being exposed at the back and is not afraid to put his body on the line to block a goal-bound shot.
He also packs power with his shot attempts and can create some meaningful openings for others around him. A productive two-way player like Locatelli would add a lot of quality to Man City’s midfield and is good enough to serve as a good long-term successor to Fernandinho at the Etihad Stadium.
The Italian sensation is primarily a defensive midfielder but can also play as a box to box midfielder if needed. At 23, Locatelli is about to embark upon the prime years of his playing career, so Man City can expect to get the best out of him in the coming seasons.
All in all, the Sassuolo star will be a great fit for the Mancunian outfit as he has all the skillset required to become a future star under the expert stewardship of Pep Guardiola. Therefore, the Premier League champions should consider engineering a move to bring him to Manchester when the transfer window reopens later this month.
