Juve has reached an agreement to sign Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo for € 35 million.
Juve long pursued Manuel Locatelli
Juventus chased Manuel for months after seeing him enjoy a stellar 2020-21 campaign in Sassuolo to help the club secure their eighth-place finish in Serie A. Arsenal have also had a strong relationship with the 23-year-old, but his preferred next destination has always been the Allianz Stadium, and the Bianconeri have now finally managed to strike a deal with Sassuolo.
Terms of a transaction
Juventus will pay € 5 million to attract Manuel Locatelli for the initial loan deal, and Sassuolo will receive the remaining € 30m when his move is made permanent in the summer of 2022. Italy’s International is set to devote its future to the Old Lady for the next five years, an official announcement is expected later on Tuesday. Manuel Locatelli is due to fly to Turin before undergoing a medical examination at the Juventus training ground, completing his three-year stay in Sassuolo.
What will happen next?
Now Manuel Locatelli will join all Allegri midfield stars at the Allianz Stadium, where he will compete for a few minutes alongside Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot, Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Bernardeschi. He has proven that he is already meeting the demands of the game at the highest level, playing a key role in Italy’s run to glory at the European Championship earlier this year.
Manuel Locatelli also has the versatility to add a new dimension to the Juventus side, with the outgoing star Sassuolo equally good at serving as a box-to-box midfielder or holding role, with the ability to break into the final third and unlock the defense with its impressive passing range. Bianconeri supporters will hope his presence will help them fight off Inter in 2021-22 and create a major challenge for the Champions League, which they have not won since 1996.