Arsenal's hopes of signing Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli appear to have taken a fresh twist.
It's no secret that the Gunners are in the market for reinforcements in the middle of the park.
With Dani Ceballos' returning to Real Madrid after his two-season loan spell, Matteo Guendouzi joining Marseille on loan, coupled with the expected departures of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira, Mikel Arteta must act fast or risk being left with few midfield options next season.
One player that has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal has been Locatelli, but there have been mixed reports in the media regarding a potential summer transfer.
Firstly, Sassuolo chief executive Giovanni Carnevali claimed last week that the Gunners had made an offer for the 23-year-old who reportedly has an £34m price-tag.
However, as reported by Goal, no official bid was lodged, with Arsenal ready to step in if Juventus are unable to meet Sassuolo's asking price for Locatelli.
Then according to Italian journalist Paolo Bargiggia, Locatelli has said 'no' to joining Arsenal.
However, Carnevali has confirmed that the Italian outfit are currently locked in talks with an overseas club about selling Locatelli, thus perhaps hinting that the Gunners were still in the race.
"We’re in talks for Locatelli with one club from abroad... and it’s really advanced," Carnevali said on Sky Italia, as relayed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on Twitter.
"We’re going to meet with Juventus in the next days, but there are no negotiations yet with Juve as Italian clubs are in a difficult financial situation."
Despite this development, some Arsenal fans are keen to move on from this saga, urging Arteta and technical director Edu to target another central midfielder.
@Maps_Welsh said: "We don’t want him anymore."
@KoppDan9122 said: "Just Get Bissouma- Prem proven."
@madida_jnr said: "Bissouma over this guy any day, I'll even consider Neves over him."
