Manuel Locatelli joins Juventus from Sassuolo on a €37.5m deal
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Juventus have finally landed their long-term midfield target Manuel Locatelli from fellow Serie-A club Sassuolo. The Italian giants had to see off competition from Premier League club Arsenal who were also interested in signing the Italian midfielder this summer.
The Old lady have brought in the midfielder this season, on an initial 2-year loan deal with the obligation to buy next summer for a fee of €35m, when it is made permanent. The 23-year old EURO Cup winner will sign a deal with Juventus till 2026 and join his teammates in the coming week.
Juventus was always a priority for Manuel Locatelli this summer
Although Arsenal had also made an official bid for the midfielder, Locatelli’s preference lied with Juventus and he pushed for a move to to the Italian giants instead of making the big move to England. Locatelli was instrumental in Italy’s EURO Cup campaign this season and rose to prominence when he scored a brace for the Azzurris in their group match against Switzerland.
“Manuel is an absolute quality and security in midfield, bringing a level of class that few have. The giant steps he has made in the top-flight, after a period at Atalanta and Milan’s youth teams, only confirms this,” Juventus said in a statement.
Locatelli came up through the AC Milan youth ranks and made his Serie A debut for the club in 2016, at the age of 18. He made 48 appearances for the club in 2 years and was later brought in by Sassuolo in 2018. The midfielder was initially signed on loan and transformed himself into one of the best young midfielders in the division.
He made 99 appearances for Sassuolo and scored a total of 7 goals during his 3 year spell at the club. Last year, Locatelli was recorded as having made the most passes in Serie A (2,749), and also made the most number of successful passes in Italian top flight.
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