La Liga champions Real Madrid are reportedly no longer considering signing 24-year-old Italian international Manuel Locatelli.
According to a report by Defensa Central, Manuel Locatelli is not a serious target for Real Madrid. Los Blancos will prioritise signing Jude Bellingham or Enzo Fernandez in the summer transfer window. And the 24-year-old Italian international is no longer on their radar.
Manuel Locatelli has been one of the best midfielders in Serie A since leaving AC Milan. The player initially joined Sassuolo on loan in August 2018 before completing a permanent move a year later. And after three solid campaigns with the Neroverdi, he moved to Juventus on a two-year loan deal last year.
The 24-year-old has endured a topsy-turvy ride at Juventus while being a regular at the Allianz Stadium. Locatelli has turned out 18 times across all competitions this season. But it is unclear if Juventus will sign the Italian international permanently in the summer. And such a situation has captured the attention of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid will bolster the midfield unit in the summer transfer window amid the advancing years of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. In addition, Dani Ceballos will likely leave Real Madrid as a free agent at the end of the season. So Los Blancos will need to sign at least one midfield irrespective of whether Modric and Kroos continue.
Several midfielders have thus emerged on Real Madrid’s radar, with Jude Bellingham the top target. In addition, Enzo Fernandez also features prominently on Los Blancos’ radar. But Real Madrid had reportedly identified Manuel Locatelli as Plan C if they failed to sign Bellingham or Fernandez.
But according to Defensa Central, Real Madrid will not pursue the 24-year-old Italian international. In addition, Stanislav Lobotka no longer features on the Merengues’ radar. But Real Madrid might not have succeeded in signing the Napoli midfielder anyway, as he is set to sign a new contract with the Partenopei.
As for Locatelli, it will be interesting to see where he plies his trade in the 2023/24 season. The 24-year-old Italian international will be eager to enjoy a splendid second half of the campaign. And that might help him attract a top club in the summer transfer window.
