Arsenal ready to swap €40m star to land Juventus midfielder

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 7 Mar 2023 18:35 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal are desperate for midfield reinforcements and could use Kieran Tierney as a makeweight to sign Juventus and Italy star Manuel Locatelli.

The Gunners are top of the Premier League with a fine first-choice three-man midfield in Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, the latter of whom looks positively rejuvenated under Mikel Arteta this season.

But options beyond them are pretty thin on the ground, especially with Mohamed Elneney injuring his knee in January.

READ MORE: Barcelona set to beat Arsenal to transfer of €40m Brazilian wonderkid

The likes of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo have been linked, but with the market for a defensive midfielder and with such Premier League transfers coming at an inflated price, Locatelli could represent a budget-friendly option, with Arsenal looking at him, reports CalcioMercato.

The Italy international is coming towards the end of a two-year loan at Juventus from Sassuolo, but the Old Lady have an obligation to buy him for €25 million, plus €12.5m in add-ons, in June.

Arsenal gunning for Rice

But Arsenal’s main target is Rice, as per reports. It is without a doubt that the England international will be the subject of such speculation in the summer window.

It is thought that he will leave West Ham and go on to a side, probably in the Champions League.

There is a confidence that he will end up going to the Gunners but they face competition from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

David Moyes said of a possible move in the summer "Undoubtedly Declan is going to be a top player, he'll be a British transfer record if he ever leaves West Ham."

During the World Cup, Rice went on record to say that his ambition is Europe’s biggest competition.

He said at a press conference: "One hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League. For the last two or three years I’ve been saying that," he previously said. "I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing.

"I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies. You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in."