Club director admits they rejected Arsenal money to help player fulfil his dream

Arsenal was prepared to outbid any competitor to secure the signing of Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo in 2021, but the midfielder ultimately chose to join Juventus on an initial loan deal.

Locatelli’s standout performances for Italy at Euro 2020 caught Arsenal’s attention, prompting serious interest in acquiring him for their squad.

Impressed by Locatelli’s role in Italy’s triumph, Arsenal made significant efforts to sign him before the start of the following season.

However, Locatelli’s lifelong allegiance to Juventus, his favourite club, became a decisive factor when the Turin giants entered the race for his signature.

This presented a dilemma for Sassuolo, as they had to choose between accepting a lucrative offer from Arsenal or facilitating Locatelli’s dream of playing for Juventus.

Ultimately, Sassuolo opted to sell Locatelli to Juventus on an initial loan deal, despite Arsenal offering more money for a direct transfer.

Speaking about the move, Sassuolo director Giovanni Carnevali said, as quoted by Tuttojuve:

“There are two players to whom I feel particularly attached, Frattesi and Locatelli. They are two boys that I tried to please when they were transferred. The economic side of a transfer is important, but not decisive.

“For example, Locatelli absolutely wanted to go to Juventus, we satisfied him even though we gave up the financial aspect because there was interest from another club, Arsenal.”

Juve FC Says

Locatelli caught the eye with his fine performances at Euro 2020 and could have been a good player for us, but he chose another team and we are doing well without him in the picture.

Life is good for us Arsenal fans right now