Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli to join Manchester City is the “dream” of former Italian coach

Manuel Locatelli to Manchester City from Juventus is the “dream” of one former Italian coach, it has been stated during a recent interview.

The Premier League champions had been heavily linked with a move for the 25-year-old during the summer transfer window of 2021, but ultimately lost out to the player with the emergence of interest from Serie A giants Juventus.

The Turin club won the race for the player during the same summer, signing Locatelli on an initial two-year loan, with Juventus holding an obligation to purchase the player for €25 million payable over three years, plus a further €12.5 million in potential add-ons.

While Manuel Locatelli may seem very settled in his home country, one former manager believes that a move to Manchester City would be his “dream” and an opportunity for football fans to see the player excel to a whole new level.

Speaking during a recent interview with Italian outlet Sport Italia, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, former manager Walter De Vecchi has expressed his “dream” to see current Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli join Pep Guardiola’s side.

De Vecchi explained on Locatelli, “He is becoming an increasingly important player, also for the (Italy) national team. In addition to possession and set-up, he is also good at recovering the ball and assisting a partner in difficulty.

“Those who criticise (Manuel) Locatelli understand nothing about football. In a team that imposes its game he would be a kind of Paulo Roberto Falcao. My dream would be to see him in a team like Manchester City: we would see a stellar Locatelli.”

Manchester City are expected to be in the market for a new midfielder next summer, and their monitoring of Europe’s premier stars is an ongoing process with a number of names having been linked with the Etihad Stadium in recent weeks.

In attacking midfield positions, the likes of Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala have been linked with interest from the Premier League champions, with some reports from Germany going as far as to claim that it is a personal pursuit from manager Pep Guardiola.

With Kalvin Phillips widely expected to find a way through the Manchester City exit door either in January or next summer, and Kevin De Bruyne certainly not getting any younger, the midfield area is likely to be a main focus for Etihad transfer bosses.