Arsenal keeping an eye on Manuel Locatelli | OneFootball

Arsenal are keeping tabs on Manuel Locatelli ahead of the summer window, according to Calciomercato.

Since joining the Old Lady in 2019 from Sassuolo, Locatelli has continuously impressed for Juventus and was recently praised by Max Allegri for his conduct on and off the pitch.

“Aside from his technical qualities, Manuel also has moral qualities that make him a real Juventus player, now and in the future,” said the Juventus boss.

“He has the specific DNA of a player who can spend many years at Juventus.”

Before his move to Turin on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy, Locatelli was a target for Arsenal and they are reportedly still interested in bringing him to the Emirates Stadium.

It remains to be seen if Juventus will be willing to let go of any of their midfield options as they continue to sweat over the long-term future of Adrien Rabiot.

A swap deal involving Locatelli and Kieran Tierney has been mooted, with Juventus looking to bring in a new left-back to replace the soon-to-become free agent Alex Sandro.

Irrespective of how Arsenal’s pursuit of Locatelli ends, the Premier League leaders are expected to sign a new midfielder next summer.

Mikel Arteta’s men have been laid bare in the centre of the park on several occasions this season which ultimately led to the acquisition of Jorginho in January.

Arsenal had earlier targeted a move for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo, who despite recently penning a new deal with his current employers, remains of interest to Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Off the back of a thrilling 3-2 victory over Bournemouth last time out, Arsenal will be looking to put one foot in the quarter-final of the Europa League when they face off against Sporting Lisbon on Thursday.