It honestly doesn’t matter if Manuel Locatelli wants to join Juventus, Arsenal are determined to convince him that a move to London is better.
That’s what Corriere dello Sport are hinting at on Friday, making it clear that, despite previous reports of the Italian blanking the Gunners’ phone calls and making it clear he would rather go to Turin, the London club are ‘really serious’ about buying him.
Not only that, but they are aiming ‘for a sensational overtaking’ of Juventus in the deal, ‘taking advantage of the investment capacity that allows them to satisfy Sassuolo’s request: €40m cash’.
This intent, Corriere write, ‘risks becoming an increasingly serious threat’ for their Serie A counterparts, who are still using Locatelli’s desire to join them as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
While Juventus try and get a different kind of deal, whether it be €30m + a player or a two-year loan à la Chiesa, neither of those ‘convince Sassuolo’.
Either way, going forward, it’s made very clear they ‘must accelerate to defuse the Arsenal danger’.
