According to Turin-based outlet Juventus Live, Tottenham Hotspur have been approached as a potential bid for Manuel Locatelli this summer.
The Italian newspaper claims Tottenham could offer the midfielder 24 million euros plus bonuses, and that the project is attractive to the midfielder, as he is willing to leave his former club if another club’s project interests him.
Locatelli was controversially not included in Italy’s squad for the Euros in 2021, despite the Juventus midfielder having won the tournament while with the national team, with the defending champions eliminated by Switzerland in the last 16.
He is apparently keen to leave the club and Juventus are prepared to let him go for a somewhat modest fee, but the 26-year-old has started all four of the club’s friendlies so far this summer under new manager Thiago Motta.
Locatelli is a cultured midfielder who is very good on the ball and can control the game, which is why he would be thought to be a good fit under a manager with a very similar playing style. Unfortunately, if the above reports are correct, it looks like a deal could be done this summer.
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The 28-time Italy capped player spent six months playing alongside current Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur at Juventus in the 2021/22 season, which may have helped him settle in better, as he also played alongside Dejan Kulusevski that season and is a team-mate of Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogiel at Italy.
With Yves Bissouma, Archie Gray, Pape Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur, Spurs have plenty of options at the double pivot and are not in dire need of a new midfielder, but Locatelli would offer a level of technical security and control that the midfielders mentioned above cannot provide.
That being said, despite these options, Tottenham certainly have more pressing issues, such as filling the gap at left-back Destiny Udogye, and it would be a surprise if they went for Locatelli rather than someone else. The Juventus midfielder and Udogye would be great fillers, but given their financial outlay on Dominic Solanke, it would be pretty tough for Tottenham to approve both deals.