This is a very interesting situation developing in Italy as it seemed that the Italian World Cup star Manuel Locatelli was being chased by both Arsenal and Juventus, and it was widely reported that the Sassuolo player only had eyes for the Old Lady, despite Arsenal supposedly making the bigger bid.
So, it seemed like a done deal, with Juventus only needing to match Arsenal’s offer to secure Locatelli’s services, but here we are just two weeks from the end of the window, and it now appears that Max Allegri has decided to move Aaron Ramsey to Locatelli’s position and forgo paying a transfer fee for the Sassuolo star.
Allegi was asked about Locatelli by Sky Sports Italia (transcribed by The Mail) after the 3-1 win over Atalanta, and he replied: ‘Locatelli is a Sassuolo player. I think Aaron Ramsey played a good game tonight, he’s an intelligent player.
‘I think he has a future playing just in front of the defence. Tonight it wasn’t easy against Atalanta and it’s just the second time he has played in that role, he went to cover lots of aerial balls.
‘When he gets used to it more, he will make fewer mistakes because he’ll have the structure laid out in his head. He is a player I can count on a lot.’
This could simply be a negotiating ploy from Allegri to try and persuade Sassuolo to accept a lower price, or it could mean that Arsenal now have a chance to go back. If Locatelli could perform a well for Arsenal as he did in the Euros, he would be an excellent buy.
Do you think we should go back with another bid?