A resurgent Arsenal have reignited their interest in Juventus star Manuel Locatelli as they go from strength to strength under Mikel Arteta.
According to Calciomercato, North London giants Arsenal have reignited their interest in securing the services of Italian international midfielder Manuel Locatelli who currently plays for Juventus.
The Azzurri ace was a key cog in Roberto Mancini’s Euro 2020 winning side and earned himself a high-profile move to the Allianz Stadium last summer. While he has had his moments, Locatelli has struggled to take the league by storm with the Bianconeri.
One team who have been long-term admirers of Locatelli is Arsenal. The Gunners missed out on the player last year but, do not appear to have given up hopes of landing him. Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri remains unconvinced by the 24-year-old, and this could pave for a move to The Emirates in the upcoming transfer windows.
Mikel Arteta has a crop of excellent young midfielders in Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe. While the arrival of Fabio Vieira offers the Gunners more dynamism going forward, they lack a reliable option that can play a defensive role and anchor the midfield.
Thomas Partey hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, while Granit Xhaka is prone to Jekyll and Hyde performances. Mohamed Elneny is patchy at best and Albert Sambi Lokonga has much to fine-tune in his game. Adding Locatelli to the roster is likely to make the Italian international an automatic first XI player and will offer Arsenal balance in a key area of the pitch.
Arsenal have looked like a real force this season and appear to have finally got going under Arteta. Should the Spaniard get it right, he has a young, exciting squad capable of achieving much. Locatelli will offer the experience needed for such a side to find its bearings and could lay the foundations for a thrilling team.
Juventus have fallen off the summit of Italian football in recent years, and Allegri has shown little to suggest that he can turn it around. Unlike a year ago, Arsenal are a team on the up, and it makes sense for Locatelli to ditch Turin for the bright lights of London. Should they land him, the Gunners will be privy to a coup, securing themselves the services of one of Europe’s elite midfielders.