Manuel Locatelli is reportedly among the midfielders to have popped up on the radar of Liverpool heading into the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Brazilian outlet UOL, Liverpool are tracking the progress of 23-year-old Italian midfielder Manuel Locatelli heading into the summer transfer window. The Reds are eager to sign a midfield reinforcement ahead of the 2021/22 season, with several options on their radar.
Manuel Locatelli has enjoyed a stunning rise to fame following his cross-Serie A switch from AC Milan to Sassuolo. The Italian international initially joined the Neroverdi on loan before making his move permanent in the summer of 2019. To date, the 23-year-old has turned out 99 times for Sassuolo, chipping in with seven goals and 11 assists as well.
The player’s growth has certainly not gone unnoticed, with the who’s who of European football vying for his signature this summer. And the latest club to have shown an interest in prising the 23-year-old away from Serie A are Liverpool, who are desperately scouring the transfer market for a midfield addition.
Liverpool have lost the services of Georginio Wijnaldum on a free transfer, with the Dutchman joining Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The departure of the 30-year-old has left Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as his options in midfield.
However, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain face an uncertain future at Anfield while Milner is on the wrong side of 30. As a result, it is hardly surprising that Jurgen Klopp is asking for a possible midfield reinforcement this summer, with Florian Neuhaus emerging as the primary target for the Liverpool boss.
However, negotiations with the German international have not progressed well, forcing them to turn their attention elsewhere. To that end, Liverpool have been eyeing Lorenzo Pellegrini and Pascal Gross as potential alternatives, with Locatelli also popping up on the Reds’ radar now.
The 23-year-old could prove to be a like-for-like replacement for Wijnaldum, seeing as he can play as a holding midfielder as well as a box-to-box midfielder equally adeptly. His eye for a goal will be a further positive, making Locatelli a viable target for Liverpool to pursue this summer.
The report claims that making a move for Locatelli could be a possibility, and it will be really interesting to see if the Reds make a concrete offer for him. With the Italian international also being tailed by several other European bigwigs, Liverpool will need to move quickly to prise him away from Serie A outfit Sassuolo. For now, he is simply an option being considered at Anfield, and it remains to be seen if a summer move sees the light of the day.