In a recent interview with Sky Italy, Sassuolo sporting director Giovanni Carnevali revealed that Arsenal have already launched a concrete offer for Manuel Locatelli this summer. Carnevali said,
“Juventus are the only Italian club we talked to about Locatelli.
“We met last week with (Juventus sporting director Federico) Cherubini.
“There is interest from their side, we haven’t explored all the terms and evaluations, but we have an excellent relationship with Juventus so we will continue these talks.
“It’s true that other clubs from abroad are interested, Arsenal are one of these and they are ahead of everyone else because they tabled the only concrete offer we have received so far.”
Locatelli’s Excellent Form In Italian Football
Locatelli experienced a solid campaign at the Mapei Stadium as he produced a run of impressive performances for them at the centre of the park. He has also caught the eye with his excellent form for Italy in the UEFA European Championships so far.
The 23-year-old made 34 appearances for the Italian outfit last season, registering four goals, three assists and nine yellow cards on all fronts. Locatelli was a consistent performer at the heart of the Sassuolo midfield after he averaged 2.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 1.7 clearances, 1.2 shots, 1.1 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per 90 minutes in Serie A. He has even been excellent when distributing possession from midfield based on his pass completion rate of 88.3% in the Italian top tier (stats via whoscored).
Will Locatelli Be A Good Signing For The Gunners This Summer?
Locatelli has a wide range of passes in his locker and can unlock the opposition defence with a killer through-ball in the attacking third. The 13-time Italy international can get stuck in with a few crunching tackles so that he can disrupt the opposition’s flow in the game.
The Lecco-born talent can sense the danger quickly to secure the ball back for his side. He can even strike the ball with power and precision from long range but needs to add a few more goals to his game if he wants to become a world-class midfielder someday.
At 23, Locatelli is about to embark upon the prime years of his playing career, so Mikel Arteta can expect to make the most out of his talents if he is successful in bringing the Sassuolo star to the Emirates Stadium during this summer transfer period.
Locatelli has what it takes to nail down a regular starting place in the Arsenal first team and could help the North London outfit challenge for a top-four place in the Premier League next season. Hence, the Italian midfield ace will be a good signing for Arteta as he will undeniably enhance the quality of his first team at the English capital.
