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Arsenal have opened talks with Juventus about a deal to sign midfielder Manuel Locatelli in January.
He has been on their radar since his performances helped Italy win the Euros last summer, when he was still on the books of Sassuolo. However, he rejected a switch to North London and, instead, joined Juventus initially on a two year loan. They have the obligation to make the move permanent at the end of this campaign.
So far, though, that move has not worked out as planned and he has struggled for game time, and is likely to fall even further down the pecking order in Turin once Paul Pogba returns from injury.
Now they may be willing to listen to offers for the 24 year old, who is valued at £31 million, although the Gunners are hoping to negotiate that downwards given his current predicament.
Despite their fine start to the season, Mikel Arteta is aware that midfield is one area of his team that needs strengthening.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.