Arsenal ‘make contact’ with Serie A star with club willing to sell

Things couldn’t be going much better for Mikel Arteta right now, with the Spaniard having just witnessed his side dismantle rivals Tottenham 3-1 in the north London derby. 

The Gunners sit top of the Premier League, a point ahead of defending champions Manchester City, and have beaten Manchester United and Spurs in their last three league games.

Several of Mikel Arteta’s players are in fine form but despite that, it appears the Spaniard is still keen on bolstering his squad.

As reported by Calciomercato via The Sun, the London side have made contact in regard to a possible deal for Italy midfielder Manuel Locatelli.

Locatelli, 24, is currently just over halfway through a two-year loan spell at Juventus, but the latter have an obligation to buy the player from parent club Sassuolo for £30.8 million.

The Gunners made an attempt to sign Locatelli last summer after his string of superb performances at Euro 2020, but he instead opted to join Juventus.

Locatelli was pivotal to Italy’s EURO 2020 success

At the showpiece tournament last summer, Locatelli impressed as Italy triumphed, beating England on penalties in the final.

Arguably his best performance came against Switzerland in the group stage, when he scored twice in a 3-0 win.

During his time in Turin, the midfielder has scored three goals and provided five assists in 50 games, although he is yet to score or assist this season.

He has played fairly regularly this term, making seven appearances, but that could in part be due to a severe injury sustained by new signing Paul Pogba that has kept the Frenchman out of action.

Arteta tried and failed to add a midfielder to his squad during the recent transfer window, with Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz of particular interest to the ex-Everton player.

They ultimately failed to sign a midfielder, though, and have since suffered from injuries sustained by both Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny.

It is claimed in the report that the Italian side could consider letting Locatelli leave for a suitable price, and Arsenal may even more for the ex-AC Milan man in January, as Arteta looks to maintain his side’s superb start to the season after the World Cup.