July 17, (THEWILL) – An attempt by former Serie A champions Juventus to initiate a summer transfer for Italian Euro 2020 Cup winner Manuel Locatelli from Italian top flight club Sassuolo has been flatly rejected. The Emilia-Romagna-based club considered Juve’s initial bid of €30m far under the value of their midfielder on whom they have placed a €40m valuation.
Locatelli is expected to move to an elite European side in this transfer season because of the stellar season he had during the 2020/2021 campaign in Serie A. His remarkable displays at Italy’s successful run at the Euro competition have also drawn the attention of clubs to his talent.
The midfielder made his intentions to move known to the club as he desires to contend in Europe’s biggest football stage, the UEFA Champions League. This made a case for Juventus to attempt bringing him to their Turin club as the former champions quickly offered Sassuolo a chance to do business with them for Locatelli.
Federico Cherubini, Juve’s Director of Football, was scheduled to meet with representatives from Sassuolo to kick off proper negotiations but the price rejection of Juve’s offer might interfere with the schedule until both parties can come to an agreement about a mutually agreeable bid.
To this end, discussions between the two parties will continue, especially as long as Juve consider it to their benefit to continue to engage in their pursuit of the midfielder. For their part, Sassuolo are more than determined to stand by their demand of €40m for Locatelli and will not budge under pressure to go less.
While this goes on, north London English Premier League side Arsenal are keeping close tabs on the process as another club interested in Locatelli. Their interests will be a tall order and may fail even before it has a chance because Locatelli wants UCL football and the Gunners are not even in the lower tiered UEFA Europa League for the upcoming season.
Yet, the Gunners are hopeful given the rejection of Juve’s offer by Sassuolo and the latter’s decision to stick to their guns. If there is any breakdown in talks, Arsenal appears ready to swoop in and convince Locatelli to switch to the Emirates with Arsenal and help them return to the UCL with his gifts and talent next season.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
