Report: Arsenal and Newcastle want to sign Juventus star this summer

By Shamanth Jayaram

According to CalcioMercatoWeb.it, Arsenal and Newcastle United are both interested in signing Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli in the summer transfer window.

The 25-year-old, who won the Euros with Italy in 2021, has long been linked with a move to the Premier League. He’s a fine player, and with Juventus’ current struggles, there’s a chance he could become available this summer.

Arsenal and Newcastle are both said to be keeping an eye on him.

Arsenal and Newcastle want to sign Juventus star Manuel Locatelli

Both Arsenal and Newcastle could do with a new central midfielder.

The Gunners, in particular, aren’t quite as strong in the middle of the park as they’d like to be. Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey have both been unbelievable, while it remains to be seen how Jorginho will fare in the famous red and white.

Irrespective of those three, Arsenal still need a top-quality player in that position, and Manuel Locatelli would be a really good signing for Mikel Arteta’s side in the summer transfer window.

The 25-year-old has played 24 times for Juventus in all competitions this season. He’s excellent on the ball, has fantastic vision, and would fit Arsenal’s style of play very well.

The report claims that Locatelli staying in Turin beyond the end of this season is by no means a certainty.

Juventus would love nothing more than to hold onto him and want to tie him down until 2026. However, Arsenal and Newcastle are keeping a close eye on the Italian, and they could make a move to sign him in the summer.

He rejected Arsenal in 2021

Arsenal were heavily linked with a move to sign Locatelli from Sassuolo back in the summer of 2021. Fabrizio Romano revealed at the time how Arteta was convinced that the Italian was the ‘perfect’ midfielder for the Gunners.

The Serie A club’s CEO, Giovanni Carnevali, confirmed publicly that the North Londoners tabled a bid to sign Locatelli, but the player only had one intention in that window – to join Juventus.

Nicolo Schira confirmed on July 18th 2021, that Locatelli had rejected a move to Arsenal, and Juventus snapped him up in the end on loan with an obligation to buy him permanently.

Whether Arsenal can finally get their man this summer remains to be seen.