According to Fabrizio Romano, the Serie A giants have signed the Sassuolo midfielder on loan with a €35 million obligation to buy. Juventus have been targeting the former AC Milan midfielder for a long time after his sensational season with Sassuolo that saw him get a callup for the Italian national team for 2020 Euro.
Sassuolo finished eighth in the Serie A last season, and Locatelli played a crucial role in the middle of the park. He also replicated that form for Roberto Mancini’s men as he guided the Azzurri to their second European Championships.
The 23-year-old replaced an injured Marco Verratti and played the initial matches of the tournament with great efficiency alongside Nicolo Barella and Jorginho in a midfield trio.
Locatelli’s addition will be excellent for the Bianconeri as there were several clubs in the race to sign the talented midfielder. Arsenal were among the front runners for the youngster. However, Locatelli joining Juventus was almost pre-decided, and it was stalling only because of Juve’s financial crunch. Hence it is great that the Old Lady have finally managed to rope in their desired player.
The Bianconeri will pay €5million initially as a loan fee for the combative midfielder and will then pay the remaining €30million next season when Locatelli will permanently move to Turin.
The Italian is all set to sign a five-year contract with Juventus, with the official announcement due in a few days. The youngster is now on his way to fly to Turin and will have his medical soon before finalizing the initial loan move.
Locatelli will be very pivotal to Massimiliano Allegri’s plans for this season. However, it is expected to be very challenging for the 23-year-old to fight it out and cement a place in the starting eleven. The Italian joins a team that already has players like Federico Bernardeschi, Rodrigo Betancur, Aaron Ramsey, Dejan Kulusevski and Adrien Rabiot in midfield.
Locatelli is a well-rounded player who flourishes in tough situations and can handle the pressure of playing at the top level. He showed tremendous grit and determination at the Euros. He is also a great passer and has that vision to pick out players in tight spots. Due to his well-rounded skill, Mancini decided to pick him for the Euros and gave him a chance in place of Verratti.
He can feature in a box to box role and can also fit in as a holding midfielder. Locatelli has that energy and drive to help Juve regain the Serie A from Inter Milan this season and will be very important in Allegri’s plans. He can also slot in as a defensive midfielder allowing Cristiano Ronaldo, Paolo Dybala and Kulusevski to push forward.
With the Locatelli deal almost done, Juventus may not look forward to Miralem Pjanic anymore. The out of favour Barcelona midfielder is waiting for offers from clubs this summer as the Blaugrana are keen to offload players to clear their wage bill.
The Serie A giants were also keeping a close eye on AS Monaco youngster Aurelien Tchouameni. The French defensive midfielder has earned high plaudits with his stellar performances for the French outfit. Juventus were considering him as an alternative for Locatelli. But now, with the Italian joining the club, it will be interesting to see if they still go ahead with the move for the 21-year-old.
