Arsenal have been frustrated in their hunt for talent in the past year. Specifically, their pursuit of transfer targets in Serie A has ended in disappointment.
Arsenal wanted to sign both Manuel Locatelli and Dusan Vlahovic in back-to-back windows but were beaten to them by Juventus on both occasions. The Locatelli deal was especially frustrating considering the deal that the Biaconneri ended up securing for the midfielder.
It was confirmed that Arsenal had made a sizeable bid during the window but that the player had his heart set on remaining in Italy. The agent of Juve youngster Nicolo Fagioli, Andrea D’Amico, confirmed the bid.
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“Juventus would like to sign Locatelli and Arsenal have already offered €40m (£34m). But I can assure you that, as of today, Fagioli has not been included in the deal,” D’Amico told Sky Sports Italia via the Evening Standard. In the end, Sassuolo agreed to a two-year loan deal with an obligation-to-buy clause set at €35m (£30m). A wildly accessible and generous deal for The Old Lady, considering the previous bid from Arsenal.
Italian clubs have suffered throughout the pandemic and deals have taken on unorthodox structures in order for the clubs to secure their targets. The Premier League, a far richer competition, has not faced as many detrimental impacts of the loss of revenue.
Arsenal are reportedly interested in Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca. The Italian international is also said to be of interest to Inter Milan – although other reports claim differently.
Arsenal will benefit from new loan regulations being introduced that will affect Serie A. FIFA are bringing in greater restrictions on loans, including the reduction of loans so that they may only be a maximum of one year in length and no shorter than between two transfer windows.
Serie A has introduced this, and the likes of Juventus and Inter Milan will not be able to use this tactic to try and beat Arsenal and other potential suitors to transfer targets. How much this will be effective in the case of Scamacca, however, is not yet known.
The Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali has said only ‘contacts’ with clubs has been made at this stage. The idea of a bid, therefore, is not yet on the table. “There’s nothing concrete yet for Scamacca, just some contacts with some clubs”, he told Sky Sports. “Of course, after playing with the national team the interest is now growing."
