City transfer target has suggested a move abroad is ‘an option’
MANUEL Locatelli has admitted a move abroad is an option for him after rumoured interest from City.
The 23-year-old Sassuolo star has enjoyed an excellent two seasons at the Serie A side since leaving boyhood club AC Milan and he won his first international cap for Italy last year.
Locatelli’s agent claimed in January that City were monitoring the midfielder over a potential summer transfer, with Juventus also linked with the holding player.
Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Locatelli admitted he is unsure what his future holds but revealed that playing abroad is an option for him, in what could well represent a boost to City’s transfer hopes.
He said: “I don’t know if this will be my last year here or what the future holds for me.
“When, and if, there are opportunities, we will evaluate them all together.”
He added: “Playing abroad is an option for me and at the moment I’m not excluding anything.
“It’s part of my job and it means that I have raised my level.
“Certain certificates of esteem and interest from big clubs increase my motivations and make me understand I’m on the right track.”
Locatelli has enjoyed an impressive campaign in Serie A this season, making 23 appearances as a defensive midfielder and playing a further seven times in a more conventional midfield role. He has scored three league goals and also made one assist so far in the campaign. His admission comes after Locatelli’s agent, Stefano Castelnuovo, claimed in January that City were tracking the player ahead of a potential summer move.
He told Calciomercato: “In the January transfer market Sassuolo will hardly sell the player. “Manchester City are one of the teams monitoring him for the next market.”
When and if there are opportunities we will evaluate them all together Manuel Locatelli