Juventus sign Manuel Locatelli - Becomes Sassuolo's record sale

This article first appeared on August 17 and has been updated twice. On Wednesday Manuel Locatelli officially joined Juventus. 

"We are waiting for an adequate offer, otherwise Manuel Locatelli will stay at Sassuolo," US Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali said about the negotiations with Juventus at the end of July. "We will close the market at the start of August." But despite the internal deadline, Juventus have negotiated a deal with Sassuolo. On Tuesday Sky Italia, reported that the 23-year-old European Championship winner will join Juventus just days before the Serie A season kicks off. The transfer is now official

Update August 18, 09:00 am BST: Locatelli traveled to Turin on Wednesday to complete his medical. He was filmed arriving at Juventus’ medical center greeting the Bianconeri fans by several reporters, including Goal’s Romeo Agresti.

Update August 18, 07:00 pm BST: After completing his medical, Juventus have made the transfer official. Locatelli will join Juve on a free loan for two seasons with an automatic option to buy. 

Sky journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reported that after the two seasons an automatic buy-on option will be triggered. Then in 2023, when his contract at Sassuolo expires, the midfielder will cost €35 million, which is his current market value. Juventus have tried to convince Sassuolo to agree to a loan-to-buy deal without an automatic option. The follow-up contract at Juve will last until 2026. 

The Neroverdi wanted €40 million initially. That fee could be reached thanks to various bonuses. Fabrizio Romano reported that they are part of the deal. Locatelli will become Sassuolo's most expensive departure in club history. That spot was previously held by Matteo Politano, who joined Inter Milan for €21.1 million in 2019/20. At Juve he is the 13th most expensive signing, costing the same as Leonardo Bonucci and Dejan Kulusevski. 

At a glance: The most expensive Juventus signings / Sassuolo's record departures

Locatelli joined Sassuolo from Milan for €14 million in 2019 to gain much-needed playing experience and then make a next step to one of the top clubs—successfully. The midfielder played 99 games and scored seven goals and 11 assists. In September 2020 he made his debut for Italy and was a star at the European Championships this summer where he played five of seven games for his country scoring two goals.