West Ham United could make a move for Juventus’ Italy international Manuel Locatelli after the Euro 2020 winner turned down Premier League rivals Arsenal last summer, according to Il Bianconero.
Locatelli, a £30 million signing from Sassuolo, was supposed to be the solution to Juventus’ long-standing problems in the centre of the park.
Instead, he is now showing signs of those same old symptoms; the virus spreading through the bloodstream of a man who, like Denis Zakaria, Adrien Rabiot and Arthur Melo before him, is starting to feel like another victim of Juve’s midfield malaise.
“Locatelli (is a) flop. He looks like another player compared to the one seen at Sassuolo,” former Roma man Stefano Impallomeni tells Tuttomercatoweb.
Could West Ham United really lure Manuel Locatelli away from Juventus?
Locatelli should not shoulder the blame alone, of course. At his most effective in a box-to-box role; the former AC Milan youngster has struggled to exert his usual influence in a more withdrawn, defensively-minded position under the increasingly under-fire Max Allegri.
In contrast, it is not hard to imagine Locatelli thriving alongside Declan Rice in a rambunctious midfield two at the London Stadium; hassling, harrying, passing and probing. David Moyes’ front-to-back tactics would, in theory, suit the 24-year-old down to the ground; Locatelli a jack of all trades rather than a master playmaker.
Il Bianconero say that West Ham may be a potential destination should Juventus cash in on the £35 million-rated enforcer. Convincing Locatelli to walk away from his ‘dream’ club, however, would most certainly be easier said than done.
“(Locatelli) only wanted Juventus,” Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali said last year; explaining why the former Mapei Stadium ace turned down one of West Ham’s capital city neighbours.
“We received offers from Arsenal and other clubs. But there was nothing we could do. He was determined (to join Juventus).”
Juve lost 2-0 to reigning Scudetto holders AC Milan this weekend. They are now eighth in Serie A, with just three wins from nine matches. Locatelli, meanwhile, could come under further pressure once Leandro Paredes gets up to speed on Italian soil.
Argentina international Paredes joined from PSG in the summer. So far, he has just three starts under Allegri in Serie A.
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