Arsenal prepare stunning €40m Manuel Locatelli transfer bid

Are Arsenal being serious about this transfer window or will they dally on numerous players and fail to act on their intentions? So far this summer has leaned more towards the latter, although signs emanating from Italy suggest the club are not going to rest on their Manuel Locatelli shaped laurels.

This summer market is going to be a hectic one. It’s already been something of a rollercoaster depending on how invested one gets into the rumours, as believing that every single one is true will more often than not set you up for crushing disappointment.

Midfield is an essential part of the squad rebuild for Arsenal who have to not only replace the imminent departure of Granit Xhaka, but also bolster the numbers with genuine quality as anywhere up to five of the six that were on the books last season could be on their way out.

That appears unlikely to happen as doing so would be unbelievably reckless, even if a strong case can be made for the five mentioned to not be the standard required to elevate the side. If buyers were found with adequate replacements, however, then Mikel Arteta would be quite content to sanction them. It’s an awful lot to deal with in one summer, though.

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Arsenal prepare stunning €40m Manuel Locatelli transfer bid in summer transfer window with interest from Juventus

Thomas Partey needs a partner. The question is who?

There is now an opportunity to redesign the outlook of the midfield. Xhaka’s skillset is very specific and his positive and negative traits clear, but Arsenal could gravitate away from a progressive passer into a more progressive carrier and add greater athleticism, if they so desired.

Or, they could upgrade Xhaka: find another distributor who can control matches, dictate the tempo and spread the play with unwavering efficiency. Fans have drawn up their own lists for who that could be, as will have the club.

Thus far, Manuel Locatelli has been more of a fans’ option than a strong club link. Nothing had concretely arisen to link the Gunners with the Italian until multiple reports coming out of Italy and Spain claim that Arsenal are preparing a stunning €40m move for the Sassuolo man.

As per La Gazzetta, who are usually reliable with Italy-based transfers, Arteta’s side are ready to put an offer on the table that matches what the Serie A side want. Sky Italia and Marca have also linked the player with north London.

There is huge interest in Locatelli across Europe, however, and if the reports are to be believed then it will not be an easy deal to pull off. What are Arsenal’s chances?

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