The chief executive of Sassuolo has revealed that he has received offers from foreign clubs for Italy star Manuel Locatelli, amid reported interest from Arsenal.
The midfielder has impressed for the Azzurri at Euro 2020, scoring twice in a 3-0 group stage win over Switzerland, but he’s likely to start on the bench in Sunday’s final against England at Wembley.
Juventus have been heavily linked with the 23-year-old in the Italian press, but Arsenal are also interested, and Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali suggested that foreign clubs may have the advantage over Italians in the market.
“We have received offers for Locatelli, but there are also requests for Domenico Berardi, Giacomo Raspadori and Jeremie Boga,” Carnevali told Sky Italia.
“We will talk about Locatelli after Euro 2020, we want to leave him in peace before Sunday.
“We have received some important offers for him, one of them is very far along. We met with Juventus and have made an appointment for next week, but everything must be evaluated.
“The Italian market has real problems, the offers are arriving from abroad, and it’s clear that we have players who are hungry for big clubs.”
Locatelli has been one of the standout midfielders in Serie A over the last three years, making great progress under the tutelage of highly-rated young coach Roberto De Zerbi at Sassuolo.
However, De Zerbi’s departure to Shakhtar Donetsk this summer and Locatelli’s form at the Euros has made a departure look almost certain.
Sassuolo reportedly want €40 million for the playmaker’s signature. It’s a big fee, but given his youth, experience and potential for improvement, it’s not exactly an unreasonable demand in the current market.
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