Manuel Locatelli insists he has no regrets over rejecting £34m Arsenal move in 2021

Manuel Locatelli has dismissed any suggestion he regrets not joining Arsenal in 2021, though revealed his admiration for Mikel Arteta.

The midfielder played his part in Italy winning the Euros that summer, scoring two goals against Switzerland in the group-stage and coming off the bench in both the semi-final and final.

There was plenty of interest in Locatelli and Arsenal were among the clubs keen on signing him, with it reported that they submitted a £34m offer for the Italian.

However, Locatelli preferred a move to Juventus and secured that switch, and he remains at the club three years later.

Asked during a recent interview with Tuttosport whether he regrets the decision not to push to join Arsenal, Locatelli said: “No.

“But I love watching football, and I like watching their games and I respect their coach, Arteta.”

Arsenal were busy in that particular transfer window, bringing in Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, and making Martin Odegaard’s move to the club a permanent one.

Giovanni Carnevali, the Sassuolo CEO, confirmed at the time that the Gunners had submitted a bid for Locatelli, but they were always unlikely to be successful due to the midfielder’s desire to remain in Italy.

“Locatelli wants to join Juventus,” Carnevali said.

“However, the club needs to reach an agreement with us. We’ll see if there are the right conditions to make it happen, otherwise he is staying with us. We’ll speak to Juve.

“Locatelli also has proposals from Arsenal and another English club that has now joined the race, so he must make a decision, or of course he could stay with us.”