Fabrizio Romano has been speaking on the latest edition of his Here We Go podcast about all of the transfer rumours and news from around Europe.
One club which he spent some time on was Manchester City and, in particular, their apparent interest in Manuel Locatelli.
The 23-year-old Italian is currently at Sassuolo and is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, and Romano thinks that while City are interested, there is nothing agreed for the transfer of Locatelli with Juventus also interested.
He said: “I know there are a lot of rumours, so Manchester City fans are excited – but there is nothing advanced or official bids.
“I [said] one week ago, keep an eye on Juventus when we talk about Locatelli because they want him. Andrea Pirlo is in love with Locatelli.
“The papers in Italy were talking about him, Juventus [are] ready to make a bid, so Juventus are pushing to sign him, and Manchester City are not even close; they’re scouting him, but there is nothing close.”
Do you think Locatelli would be a good signing?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Locatelli…
Locatelli is widely seen as the heir to Andrea Pirlo’s throne, so it is no surprise that Juventus want to sign him, and you would think that the Italian could be keener on a move to link up with someone like him.
However, we think that City are also a very attractive option given the quality they have in their squad and the fact that Pep Guardiola is their manager.
That said, you would think that Locatelli would face a lot more competition in City’s squad than Juventus’, which could motivate Locatelli more, or he might decide that he wants less competition.
We won’t know either of these things until the summer, but it is interesting to hear that City are monitoring Locatelli.