In a recent report, Calciomercatoweb revealed that Juventus are open to selling Manuel Locatelli to Arsenal in order to raise funds in the summer. It is understood that the Turin outfit are willing to cash in on the Italian sensation which could open to door for the Gunners to snap him up during the summer transfer window.
Locatelli’s Good Run Of Form In Italian Football
The 25-year-old is having a solid campaign at the Turin club as he has produced a series of impressive displays at the centre of their midfield. Locatelli has made 32 appearances for the Italian outfit this season, picking up seven yellow cards across all fronts.
The Lecco-born talent has given a good account of himself at the centre of the park based on his average of 1.8 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 1.5 clearances, 1.0 shots, 0.5 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in Serie A. He has even been careful when distributing the ball from midfield after making 81.5% of his attempted passes in the Italian first division (stats via whoscored).
Locatelli’s contract at Juventus is set to expire in the summer of 2026. However, with Juve looking to cash in on him, Arsenal would be in a good position to secure his services at the end of this campaign.
Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Bring Locatelli On Board?
Locatelli is a good tackler of the ball and can sense the danger quickly to earn the ball back for his team in the middle of the park. He doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball when needed and can strike the ball well from long range. The Italy international has got the vision to create some decent plays for others around him but needs to find a way to improve his productivity in front of the opponent’s goal.
Locatelli mainly functions as a defensive midfielder but can also act as a box-to-box midfielder if told to do so. We can expect him to add more quality to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s midfield and offer some healthy competition for Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka for a regular starting spot at the North London club.
The Italian talent is good enough to help the Gunners continue competing for some major trophies over the next few seasons as long as he can make a smooth transition to life in England. Thus, Arteta would be wise to try his best to bring Locatelli on board when the transfer window reopens later this year.
