La Liga champions Real Madrid reportedly view 24-year-old Italian international Manuel Locatelli as a backup midfield target.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Manuel Locatelli has popped up on the radar of Real Madrid. The reigning La Liga champions consider the Italian international a backup midfield target if they fail to sign Jude Bellingham or Enzo Fernandez in the 2023 summer transfer window.
Manuel Locatelli has established himself as one of the best midfielders in Serie A since leaving AC Milan. The 24-year-old looked promising during his stint with the Rossoneri but could not progress as much as he would have liked. But the move to Sassuolo worked wonders for his career before earning him a move to Juventus.
The Italian international joined the Bianconeri after helping Italy win UEFA Euro 2020 last year. But he has blown hot and cold at the Allianz Stadium despite featuring in 17 games for Juventus this term. And it is unclear if the Italian giants will sign Locatelli permanently. Such a situation has captured the attention of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid will sign at least one midfielder next summer amid uncertainties surrounding Dani Ceballos. In addition, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are approaching the end of their glittering careers. So Real Madrid will need to plan for life after the ageing midfield stalwarts in the coming years.
Several midfielders have thus emerged on their radar, including Jude Bellingham. But the English international reportedly wants to join Liverpool when he leaves Borussia Dortmund. Enzo Fernandez is the other top midfield target for Real Madrid. But the Argentine international has a nine-figure asking price.
In addition, several other European bigwigs are hotly pursuing Enzo Fernandez. So the reigning La Liga champions have identified Locatelli as a backup midfield target. And a move to Real Madrid could materialise, considering the 24-year-old Italian international is not certain to join Juventus permanently.
It will be interesting to see how Locatelli’s future shapes up in the coming months as the season progresses. For now, the 24-year-old Italian international has popped up on the radar of Real Madrid over a move next year.
