Sassuolo’s chief executive Giovanni Carnevali warned any club hoping to sign rumoured Tottenham target Manuel Locatelli that they would have to pay in excess of €40m (£34.4m).
Locatelli is one of many Serie A players to be linked with a move to Tottenham after the appointment of Fabio Paratici as the club’s managing director of football.
While the central midfielder has been a consistent performer for Sassuolo over the years, his impressive showings for the Azzuri at Euro 2020 have now shot him to the limelight.
Fabrizio Romano revealed last week that Juventus had already opened negotiations over a potential loan deal for the 23-year-old with an obligation to buy.
While Carnevali has now admitted in an interview with Tuttomercatoweb that while Juventus have shown interest in Locatelli, the midfielder is also attracting plenty of interest from abroad.
He insisted that Sassuolo would happily hang on to the Italy international if a deal cannot be reached this summer.
Spurs’ North London rivals Arsenal are also considered to be frontrunners for his signature (Sky Sports).
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When asked if Locatteli would really cost more than €40m, the Sassuolo chief responded: “No, we are not joking because the negotiations we are carrying out are on these values.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is likely that clubs like Sassuolo will wait until the end of the Euros to cash in on their stars as the values of the likes of Locatelli and Berardi are only going to increase the deeper Italy go in the tournament. Besides, the players might not want to get involved in any transfer distractions until the competition is over.
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