Three European giants chasing Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli

Bengaluru, March 4: As the summer transfer window approaches, several transfer rumours are already popping up and Italian international Manuel Locatelli could soon start to dominate those columns.

The Sassuolo midfielder has established himself as one of the standout players in his position in Italy. Playing as a deep-lying playmaker he was instrumental for Sassuolo as the Serie A side punched above their weight to finish eighth last year. He has been a mainstay in the line-up this season as well and likely to finish in the same range.

Naturally, his performance has not gone unnoticed and several top sides in Europe are now keeping a close eye to get him this summer. As per rumours, these are three sides that are interested in getting him:

Juventus

Juventus has a strong midfield, however, the players that are currently at the disposal of the Italian manager is far from the top crop. The likes of Adrien Rabiot, Federico Bernardeschi and Aaron Ramsey haven’t been delivering consistently and there is an understanding one or two of them in the summer could be sold. It could make room for Locatelli who is admired heavily by Pirlo for quite some time now.

Real Madrid

Los Blancos could be proactive in their efforts to secure long-term replacements for Modric who is set to enter the twilight of his career and Toni Kroos who is also in his thirties. Furthermore, the lack of cover and competition for Casemiro in the squad is another prospect that the reigning Spanish champions are wanting to address next summer. Zidane reportedly has targeted Locatelli as their potential heir and are keeping a close eye on the situation.

Manchester City

Veteran Fernandinho could be on his way out of Manchester City this summer after his contract's end in the summer, and it doesn’t appear that he’ll be offered a new deal. Therefore, the Cityzens could be in the market for his replacement and as per rumours, Guardiola has set his sight on the Italian.