Any hopes Arsenal had of a summer move for Italy midfielder Manuel Locatelli appear to have been brought to an abrupt end.
Locatelli, 23, had emerged as a serious target for the Gunners this summer, but the latest developments appear to have signaled that the player himself would prefer to stay in Italy this summer – amid talk of a switch to Juventus.
The 23-year-old dropped a major transfer hint on his Twitter account that his heart is set on a move to the Old Lady in this window, after liking a tweet linking him to the club.
The tweet translated to: ‘According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, the Juventus raise for Locatelli: 25% superbonus on resale. €5M ready to Sassuolo, €20M additional by 2023 + €7M bonus and the percentage on a future resale. A meeting is planned soon.’
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Arsenal fans picked up on the hint and may well be wondering what is next as it appears the deal is not happing, especially as the outlet claim the Gunners actually made a bigger offer of €40million (£34.2m) for the 23-year-old.
Locatelli liking tweet linking him to Juventus
(Image: @locamanuel73)
On the other hand, the signing of Albert Sambi Lokonga may have been enough in the midfield area to mean that Locatelli perhaps wasn’t needed anymore, as Edu and co. focus on finalising the £50m Ben White deal and bringing in another goalkeeper and No.10, instead of pursuing the Italy International anymore.
To add to any doubt over a potential move to north London, former Genoa chief Giorgio Perinetti has revealed to Sky Italia that the Sassuolo midfielder had personally turned the Arsenal option down many times already this summer in order to force a move to Juventus.
Perinetti told Sky Sport 24 (via TuttoJuve): “Locatelli has repeatedly said no to Arsenal because he wants to go to Juve. And Juve itself knows that he prefers the Bianconeri.
“It would be great if a player like him stayed in Italy. At Juventus, he would improve the midfield department which has been in great difficulty for years. A few years ago I tried to bring him to Genoa, but I was unable to complete the operation.”
Locatelli started two of Italy’s fixtures as they went on to win the Euros this summer, whilst also coming off the bench on three occasions.
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https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/transfer-news/arsenal-manuel-locatelli-transfer-hint-21132413
