Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have been handed a transfer boost with Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali admitting that the Serie A club are ‘ready to sell our jewels’, while speaking to Tuttosport.
The perennial overachievers of Italian football might have lost star midfielder Manuel Locatelli and talismanic coach Roberto di Zerbi during the summer months but it could have been a whole lot worse.
The exhilarating Jeremie Boga asked to leave amid interest from Leeds United and Leicester City.
So, too, did Domenico Berardi, his reputation greatly enhanced by a key role in Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph. According to Corriere dello Sport, Liverpool and Tottenham both held an interest in a left-footed, cut-inside-and-shoot sort of winger in the Arjen Robben mould.
Fabio Paratici, Tottenham’s managing director, labelled Berardi a ‘great talent’ when quizzed about the rumours too (Di Marzio).
According to Calciomercato, Leicester have held talks regarding a potential January move for the £43 million-rated Berardi.
But while a mid-season departure can probably be ruled out, it is hard to imagine Boga and Berardi will not be following in Locatelli’s footsteps at some point over the next 12 months.
Which Sassuolo star will move to the Premier League in 2022?
“They certainly don’t move in January. We’ll see in the summer,” said Carnevali.
“The principle is the same: we are ready to sell our jewels to the big names – but only if the offers are satisfactory. Exactly as happened with Locatelli.”
Alongside Boga and Berardi, Turkey international defender Mert Muldur has also been linked with clubs in England, Arsenal having expressed an interest in a versatile, intelligent centre-half/full-back who can play anywhere across the backline.
There are also concerns regarding the future of Filip Djuricic.
The 29-year-old play-maker is due to become a free agent next summer with Everton, West Ham and former employers Southampton eyeing up a cut-price deal for a man who enjoyed a brief loan spell at the Saints during the second half of the 2014/15 season.
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