Jorge Mendes has offered Arsenal and Liverpool target Renato Sanches to Juventus as the Serie A side are struggling to agree on terms to sign Manuel Locatelli, per Sport Mediaset.
Juventus and Sassuolo are locked in prolonged negotiations over a potential loan deal for Locatelli. The Bianconeri have offered €5m (£4.5m) upfront with a further €20m (£17m) at the end of the season, should they elect to purchase the Euro 2020 champion with Italy.
Juve Vice-President Pavel Nedved has tabled the deal to Sassuolo, believing the values are appropriate for the 23-year-old. The Neroverdi must now decide whether or not to accept the terms, as Locatelli only wats to move to the Allianz Stadium if he leaves this summer.
Sassuolo Chairman Giovanni Carnevali wants at least €35-40m (£30-34m) to sell Locatelli. So, Juventus are considering alternatives in Chelsea’s Tiemoue Bakayoko and Barcelona’s Miralem Pjanic. Contacts are ongoing with Barcelona and the Bosnian’s agent over a deal.
But Mendes has stepped in and offered Juventus the chance to sign rumoured Arsenal and Liverpool target Sanches from Lille. The Ligue 1 side want €35m (£30m) for the Portuguese dynamo and the Old Lady are not against his arrival.
Nedved would, however, seek a more appropriate payment structure better suited to the Bianconeri’s budget. L’Equipe, meanwhile, report Sanches ‘dreams’ of joining Barcelona, who are rivalling Arsenal, Liverpool and Bayer Munich for his signature.
Yet the Catalan side would struggle to raise the capital Lille demand for the Ligue 1 winning 23-year-old. And Les Dogues President Olivier Letang wants to sell Sanches this summer, per Le10 Sport, as the vast interest after a strong season makes now the time to cash in.
Arsenal or Liverpool can beat Juventus to Sanches transfer
Arsenal or Liverpool could potentially beat Juventus to signing Sanches, despite Mendes offering the Lille midfielder to the Bianconeri. Nedved will likely rely on Letang accepting structured payments for the Portuguese to move to Turin, which is not impossible.
But if the Premier League rivals can put down more cash up front, Sanches may be theirs. And Arsenal agreed strong terms with Lille in the recent past after signing Nicolas Pepe from the Riviera side. Football.london also note a friendship with owner Gerard Lopez.
Pepe moved to the Emirates Stadium in a club-record £72m deal in 2019 but only paid £20m upfront. That’s according to the Daily Mail, who add the remaining £52m is spread over five-years.
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