Juventus are reportedly 'leading the race' to sign Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo this summer.
That's according to Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano, who claims the Old Lady have 'always led the race' for the Italy midfielder's signature following an impressive Euro 2020 campaign for the Azzurri.
Juventus will undergo a meeting with Sassuolo soon, with Locatelli apparently 'still pushing' to complete the move to Turin.
This is bad news for Arsenal, who are thought to have had two offers turned down by the Serie A club for their midfielder in recent weeks.
Romano denied that an official bid was made, though, but did say the Gunners told Sassuolo 'they were prepared to offer what they wanted'.
The Italian journalist also revealed Arsenal's stance on the Locatelli transfer. The north Londoners are prepared to pay Sassuolo's asking price of €40million (£34.2m) for the midfielder, but they only want him to sign if he is '100% convinced to join the club'.
The Serie A outfit have already said they will allow Locatelli to leave this summer if he does indeed want to - which looks to be the case.
Sassuolo's CEO Giovanni Carnevali told Tuttosport, via Si : “We’ll decide [on Manuel Locatelli's future] after the Euros."
Carnevali continued: "We want to make Manuel [Locatelli] happy [selling him this summer]. Many clubs from top European leagues are interested in him."
Locatelli himself was also quizzed on his future, but remained coy on the matter when asked about it in the aftermath of Italy's Euro 2020 final victory over England last weekend.
"I haven't really thought about my next club so far, I was focused on the national team," Locatelli told Sky Italia.
"From tomorrow [Monday] we will see what happens.
"I support Juventus? Right now we are here for the national team, so I support Italy."
Do you want an exclusive pre-season Arsenal preview - both in your inbox and through your letterbox? Head over here to find out more and secure your copy!
