I remember Manuel Locatelli bursting onto the football scene as a youngster for AC Milan. He always looked like a very intelligent and technical midfielder, so I was surprised when The Rossoneri decided to sell the midfielder to Sassuolo back in 2018.

It hasn’t come as a surprise that the twenty-three year old has since flourished at Sassuolo. His performances for the Neroverdi saw him selected for The Azzurri, where he helped Roberto Mancini’s men to their Euro 2020 triumph this summer.

The Lecco native has now been linked with a host of top clubs, all vying for his signature. One such illustrious name is that of Liverpool Football Club (Source Daily Mail).

It is a deal that could make sense, the player’s current contract has a £34m buyout clause inserted in it (Via Bleacher Report) and The Reds are on the lookout for a new midfielder after Gini Wynaldum’s departure during this off-season.

With all that being said, Serie A giants Juventus seem to be favourites to land Locatelli, according to Fabrizio Romano Via HITC.

But if Jurgen Klopp were to make a move, he’d be getting a fine player indeed.

The German likes to see his side in possession and be efficient when they have the ball. Manuel would certainly fit into that style of play.

I’d imagine Locatelli would offer Liverpool a tad bit more creatively from the engine-room than Gini did as the Italian is a bit of a play-making number eight type.

The Italian international is also great at covering every blade of grass as he possesses the ability to run and run. That’s both in offensive and defensive areas of the pitch.

As well as being assured whilst on the ball, the midfielder also has the vision and craft needed to create chances for his forward thinking teammates. He can play the easy on the eye tidy passes or the get the fans out their seats wonder balls, his passing ability is certainly a major strength he has in his locker.

Last season, Locatelli secured an 88% passing success rate and made around 1.1 key passes per game too (Stats – Whoscored). No player at Sassuolo could better Manuel’s average of 2.4 tackles per league outing!

Being able to get your foot in and winning the ball back is definitely an attribute Klopp admires in a footballer. The fact Sassuolo like to press teams will also see Locatelli fitting in perfectly if he were to make that move to Anfield.

He can also venture forward and grab a goal. He netted four times for his club and twice for Italy at the Euros.

The player himself seems to believe his time with special time at Sassuolo is going to come to an end this summer, and he has also suggested he may end up playing abroad:

“I thank Sassuolo because they believed in me when a lot of people doubted me. However, we are all aware of what will be the best path forward in the summer. It could lead me to another Italian team or to a foreign one.”

Via Cult Of Calcio

Those words should be ringing in the ears of those that head Liverpool’s summer recruitment drive.

In Manuel Locatelli, The Reds would be getting a modern day midfield maestro who is ready suited to shine at the highest of levels!

Posted on August 3rd, 2021 by scott
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