Juventus officially kicked off the new season yesterday, as the players began taking the medicals. When a fan asked vice-president Pavel Nedved if Cristiano Ronaldo would stay, he replied: “He will be here.” He reiterated the concept during the unveiling of the new Serie A schedule later on. “We have not received any confirmation from his entourage that he wants to leave. We are waiting for him, he will head back on July 25th.”
Instead, the Italian internationals, fresh off the Euro victory, will report to Juventus in a couple of weeks. If everything goes as planned, Manuel Locatelli will be among them. Nedved added: “It would not have been fair to talk to him during the Euro, plus he is a Sassuolo player. There will be time to address the matter.”
Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal have moved concretely to acquire the 23-year-old midfielder. They have offered €35M plus bonuses, close to the €40M price tag, Alfredo Pedullà informs. However, Locatelli wants to join Juventus, which gives them the inside track. According to the transfer market expert, only something unforeseen could make the transfer collapse.
The next summit, which has not been scheduled yet, could easily be final one to seal the deal. Juventus have proposed an array of youngsters to choose from in a partial swap deal, not only Radu Dragusin and Nicolò Faggioli. Sassuolo could accept one, but only for a fair evaluation and on top of a sizeable monetary compensation. They are eyeing Liverpool’s Marko Gruijc as a possible replacement, Gianluca Di Marzio reported. Empoli’s Samuele Ricci is also on the radar, according to Sportitalia.