Tottenham are considering a ‘dream’ swoop for Juventus star Manuel Locatelli
Tottenham Hotspur have been active throughout the summer transfer window, trying to build a squad capable of challenging for the Champions League spots and winning trophies.
We have entered the business end of the transfer window, though, the Lilywhites remain in the market for a surprise late signing if possible. One of the areas the club may look to bolster is the midfield unit, owing to Oliver Skipp’s sale to Leicester City last week.
According to a report from Italian outlet Juve Live, Tottenham have shown an interest in signing Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli. The player can swap Juventus for Spurs if their £20.3m valuation is met, especially with the Turin giants keen on Atalanta star Teun Koopmeiners since the start of the transfer window.
-> Tottenham Hotspur confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25
Manuel Locatelli initially arrived at Juventus on loan from Sassuolo in the summer of 2021. His three years at Old Lady could be described as a mixed bag at best, although he has racked up 134 appearances thus far. He has started as the first-choice defensive midfielder in the first two Serie A games under new boss Thiago Motta, helping Juve register back-to-back wins over Como and Hellas Verona.
Tottenham are understood to be preparing a bid for the Italy international, whose contract at the Old Lady doesn’t expire until June 2028 (Transfermarkt). And Injury expert Dr Rajpal Brar has greenlighted Spurs’ ‘dream’ move for Locatelli, stating his injury record from last season as “impressive”.
Exclusively speaking to Tottenham News about Locatelli’s fitness, Dr Brar said:
“Spurs will be doing due diligence on him in terms of physical fitness, which includes a battery of physical tests.
“During medicals, the clubs are looking for outliers which may not crop up as an injury.
“His fitness record is impressive and that bodes well for Spurs or any other club looking to sign him this summer.”
The words of the injury expert about Locatelli’s fitness should be encouraging for the bosses at Spurs. Locatelli has not faced any major injury concerns since he started playing professional football. Since arriving at Juventus, he has missed only 18 games through injury thus far. An inner ligament injury suffered during the 2021/22 season saw him miss seven games—the most in his time with the Turin side.
The Italy international had a clean bill of health last season, clocking 3011 minutes across 36 games in Serie A. This is another timely reminder of how fit Locatelli is and why he should be well-equipped to deal with the hustle and bustle of Premier League football. Moreover, Spurs’ expansive and pressing style of play under Big Ange would ideally not be a problem for the central midfielder.
-> Tottenham’s 5 best PL opening day wins
If a move to N17 materialises, the 26-year-old could become a solid partner for Yves Bissouma in the double pivot. All in all, Locatelli’s fantastic injury record is another glowing endorsement of why Spurs should push for his signature before the window slams shut.
