Arsenal will have to pay in excess of £35 million if they want to bring Italy’s Euro 2020 star Manuel Locatelli to the Premier League this summer, Sassuolo’s chief executive has told Tuttomercatoweb.
Giovanni Carnevali must be sick to the back teeth of the transfer window at this point.
Barely a day goes by without the Sassuolo chief having to comment on speculation swirling around one star player or another. Jeremie Boga, Domenico Berardi and Mert Muldur are all in high demand, while Inter Milan’s interest in Giacomo Raspadori has been confirmed.
The masterful Locatelli is arguably the most coveted of the lot, however, having enhanced his already burgeoning reputation with two brilliantly taken goals during Italy’s 3-0 group-stage thrashing of Switzerland a fortnight ago.
How much would Arsenal pay for Euro 2020 star Manuel Locatelli?
Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked to Locatelli.
Carnevali, however, insists only one side have made what he deems an “important bid” – Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
But how much would it take to lure Locatelli away from the Mapei Stadium?
“No, we are not joking,” Carnevali said when asked whether the former AC Milan youngster would really cost more than £35 million.
“Locatelli has various requests as he had also last year in which some clubs had made themselves heard. But we were unable to do anything and he remained with us. We were very happy (about that).
“The showcase of the European Championship, this year, is giving Locatelli a lot of prominence with foreign teams and we’ll see what will happen in these next few days. We have offers, we try to make the right evaluations.”
Carnevali adds Juventus have entered talks this week to sign Locatelli, with a side that finished a dismal fourth in Serie A last season crying out for a midfielder who would bring control, authority and finesse to a stuttering engine room.
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