{"id":599101,"date":"2021-08-13T07:07:03","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T11:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=599101"},"modified":"2021-08-13T07:07:03","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T11:07:03","slug":"juventus-close-to-signing-manuel-locatelli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2021\/08\/13\/juventus-close-to-signing-manuel-locatelli\/","title":{"rendered":"Juventus Close to Signing Manuel Locatelli"},"content":{"rendered":"

Juventus<\/a> are set to complete the signing of Italian international midfielder Manuel Locatelli, according to Goal journalist Romeo Agresti.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Serie A side have been pursuing the Sassuolo midfielder for weeks and finally appear to be closing in on their man.<\/p>\n

Arsenal<\/a> have also been linked to Locatelli, however, he prefers a switch to the Bianconeri.<\/p>\n

Juventus Close to Signing Manuel Locatelli<\/h2>\n

Turin Giants Look Set to Capture Number One Target<\/h3>\n

Ongoing negotiations have been slow between the two clubs with Sassuolo holding firm on their asking price of \u20ac40 million. However, there finally appears to be a breakthrough with both side\u2019s representatives to meet in Turin.<\/p>\n

With just one week left until the start of the Serie A season, Juventus are eager to finalise Locatelli’s arrival as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Locatelli Will Add Something Different to Juventus Midfield<\/h3>\n

It has been a quiet summer in Turin, with Juventus’s only notable signing being midfielder Weston McKennie<\/a> from Schalke.<\/p>\n

However, they have made no secret that Locatelli was their number target. The midfielder was one of the stars of Italy’s successful Euro 2020 campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He will add drive to Juventus’ midfield and is a player that is comfortable on the ball. He looks like the perfect replacement for Miralem Pjanic, someone who Juventus badly missed last season.<\/p>\n

It will also allow the likes of Adrien Rabiot and Weston McKennie to become more box-to-box threats going forward.<\/p>\n

Juventus are eager to wrestle back their Serie A title and bounce back from a poor campaign last season. They haven’t been as active in the transfer window so far, due to the club’s current financial situation after the pandemic.<\/p>\n

However, there will be optimism that they can win back their league crown. This is in part to the arrival of new boss Massimiliano Allegri<\/a> and their rivals Inter Milan<\/a> being significantly weaker.<\/p>\n

The signing of Locatelli will be a key addition to Juve’s midfield and will be a key player next season if the signing goes through.<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>