Juventus ‘to bid £26million plus teenage defender Radu Dragusin for new Italy hero Manuel Locatelli’ after Sassuolo midfielder shone in Euro 2020 group tie with Switzerland
- Manuel Locatelli’s stock has grown after impressing for Italy at Euro 2020
- The 23-year-old midfielder scored twice in Italy’s 3-0 win over Switzerland
- Juventus are reportedly set to offer £26m plus defender Radu Dragusin for him
- Locatelli’s club side Sassuolo reportedly value the midfielder at £34m
- Massimiliano Allegri knows Locatelli from their time together at AC Milan
- Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here
Juventus are preparing an offer of £26million plus teenage centre-back Radu Dragusin for Sassuolo midfielder and new Italy hero Manuel Locatelli, according to reports.
The midfielder has caught the eye at Euro 2020 this summer and scored twice in the Azzurri’s 3-0 win over Switzerland earlier this week which qualified Roberto Mancini’s side for the last-16.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a promising season for eighth-placed Sassuolo last season before linking up with the Italian national team for the summer tournament, and is said to be valued by the Neroverdi at £34million.
Juventus are set to prepare a player-plus £26million offer for Manuel Locatelli, say reports
The Old Lady are reportedly prepared to offer defender Radu Dragusin as part of the deal
And according to Goal, Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri will make the midfielder one of his top targets this summer and will hope the offer of Dragusin will convince them to accept a lower financial package for the midfielder.
Teenage defender Dragusin is highly-rated in Turin but struggled for minutes at the Old Lady last season.
The 19-year-old played four times under former Juventus head coach Andrea Pirlo last season, as he competed for places with Matthijs De Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci, Merih Demiral and Giorgio Chiellini at centre-half.
Locatelli made a name for himself by scoring twice for Italy against Switzerland at Euro 2020
The 23-year-old currently plays for Sassuolo who reportedly rate him at £34million
Meanwhile, Allegri and Locatelli know each other well from their time at AC Milan together, with the Italian manager being the first coach to give a then-young midfielder a first taste of first-team training before departing to become Juventus boss in 2014.
Locatelli went on to play 63 times for Milan over three seasons before joining Sassuolo in 2018 on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy.
Allegri was announced as Pirlo’s replacement at Juventus manager last month, just two seasons after quitting the Serie A giants after winning five straight Serie A titles.
Returning Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri knows Locatelli from his time at AC Milan
Locatelli recently hinted that a dream move would be to French giants Paris Saint-Germain following the success of Italian trio Marco Veratti, Alessandro Florenzi and Moise Kean in the French capital.
He told L’Equipe earlier this month: ‘I dream of playing in the Champions League. I am open to an experience outside of Italy. When you see Verratti, Florenzi and Kean succeed, it makes you want to do it too.’