Manuel Locatelli’s agent Stefano Castelnovo has told Tuttosport that the his client never had any intention to leave Juventus for Brighton & Hove Albion or another club in the summer window.
The 25-year-old knows Roberto De Zerbi very well after working under the Seagulls coach when the pair were at Sassuolo. In fact, it was De Zerbi who signed him for the Serie A side in 2018.
Locatelli initially joined Juve on loan in 2021 and his stay there was made permanent earlier this year. After discussing the difficulties of the operation to take him to the Turin club, the agent was asked if Brighton was an option for his client in the last window.
Responding to that, relayed by TuttoMercatoWeb, he said: “The possibility of leaving was never real. He always wanted to stay at Juventus and never took other destinations into consideration.”
Last month, Tuttosport claimed De Zerbi longs to sign the Italy international for the Premier League side and it was also stated the coach is the midfielder’s ‘football father’.
Earlier this month, Locatelli publicly stated that he’s keen on working with De Zerbi again in the future.
Despite this, Brighton could find it hard to carry out a potential deal in the future because the player, whose current deal expires in 2026, is in talks with the Old Lady to renew his contract.
When asked about his client’s renewal, Castelnovo explained: “There is a desire on both sides to continue together. Then in due time we will try to get this thing done.”
