The Gunners are stepping up their pursuit of Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli, who has also been linked with Serie A club Juventus.

Local media reports (via Sport Witness) that Arsenal is “very serious” about signing Locatelli, who scored two goals for Italy at the Euro 2020 tournament.

When it comes to signing the 23-year-old, the north Londoners are hoping to make a “sensational overtake” on Italian champions Juventus. As part of their strategy, they want to “take advantage of the investment capacity that will allow them to satisfy Sassuolo’s need for €40 million in cash.”

Despite the fact that Arsenal are out of the Champions League this season, Locatelli would prefer to join Italian powerhouse Juventus. However, the Gunners’ ambitions “risk posing an increasingly significant threat” to the Old Lady’s hopes of signing the midfielder.

Given that a rival Serie A club has been unable to meet their demands for Locatelli, Sassuolo has urged Juventus to “do swiftly to defuse the Arsenal threat” as soon as possible.

While all is going on, The Athletic claimed yesterday that Arsenal intend to sign seven players this summer, including two central midfielders, from other clubs.