Sassuolo director Giovanni Carnevali has revealed that Manuel Locatelli turned down Arsenal for a move to Juventus. The Italian international courted interest during their Euro 2020 success after beating England on penalties to lift the European Championships.

The 26-year-old made the move to Turin in 2021 for a fee in the region of £30million, initially arriving on a two-year loan with an obligation to buy. He has made 121 appearances for Juventus, scoring four times and assisting 12 goals and in November, the midfielder penned fresh terms - signing until 2028.

It was suggested that Arsenal had held talks with the Italy midfielder following the success in the pan-European competition but opted against a move to the Premier League. Carnevali has detailed the situation surrounding Locatelli's move across Italy and revealed that despite the Gunners' financial strength, they couldn't dissuade him from joining the Old Lady.

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"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," he said as quoted by Tutto Juve.

"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."

Locatelli's brother, Mattia, detailed the long negotiations between Sassuolo and Juventus that saw Arsenal lurking. He said "I still remember the negotiation (that took him to Juventus). For him it was very long.

"There was also Arsenal, but he wanted Juventus. The clubs kept meeting, but without reaching an agreement. Every day I looked at Gazzetta dello Sport to check (what was happening)."