Arsenal are reportedly looking at making a potential summer transfer move for Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli.
The Gunners were linked with a move for the Italian back in the 2021 summer transfer window before he joined Juventus from previous side Sassuolo on an initial two-year loan that has an obligation to buy permanently for a fee of €35m (£30m).
Now though, the north London club could have a pathway open to them this summer to land a deal for the midfield figure.
According to a recent report from CalcioMercatoWeb (via Sport Witness) Arsenal are the main candidates to secure a potential summer transfer deal for Locatelli, who Juventus could be willing to sell in an effort to raise funds to sign other transfer targets.
During his time at Juventus, the 25-year-old has made 75 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals and supplying five assists along the way.
Despite not delivering a goal contribution in Serie A this season, the Italy international has shown across his 22 appearances how much of a useful midfielder he is on and off the ball.
For example, in addition to making more recoveries (132) than any other player at Juventus, Locatelli also has the second-highest number of progressive passes (92) and second-highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (60).
With Thomas Partey (71) being the only Arsenal player having a higher combined total of tackles and interceptions than the Italian figure this season, this could be the main area where he’d be able to help improve the Gunners.
Should Arsenal make a move to sign Manuel Locatelli this summer?
Yes
No
His overall performances have earned him an overall season rating of 6.92/10 from WhoScored, making him the fifth-highest rated player at the Italian club.
Hailed for his “magnificent” performances for Italy at EURO 2020 by journalist Muhammad Butt, Locatelli certainly has the talent to be a useful addition to Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Moving forward, if the Serie A side do look to sell their midfield star in the summer, Arsenal should definitely see what sort of fee it could take for them to land a deal for him.