NEVES BECOMES TOP TARGET FOR ARSENAL

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves is now a top target for Premier League club Arsenal according to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marziovia his website. According to him, the Gunners will face the Wolves star as their top midfield target after they were snubbed by Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli.

Arsenal manager Mikel Artetawanted to add Italian international Locatelli to his midfield this summer but the Sassuolo player has his eyes fixed on a move to Italian giants Juventus. Locatelli wants to continue his club football in his native Italy rather than move to Arsenal in the English top flight or Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga. Sassuolo have already indicated their intention to sell Locatelli for at least €40m. 23-year-old Locatelli has impressed for Italy at the Euro 2020 tournament. Locatelli started the first two Italy games at the tournament before he was replaced by Paris Saint Germain (PSG) star Marco Verrattiin the starting XI after he missed the start of the tournament. Locatelli and Italy are in the Euro 2020 final where they will face the Three Lions of England.

Mikel Arteta will most likely lose Swiss international Granit Xhaka from his starting XI this summer with the former Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder keen to join Italian capital club AS Roma before the new season. Di Marzio revealed that Roma are waiting for the Gunners to sign a new midfielder before agreeing a deal with the Premier League team. Locatelli and Neves are two of the options identified by Mikel Arteta as possible replacement for Xhaka.

Roma already have a deal in place for Xhaka in terms of his salary but the club has seen several bids turned down by Arsenal. The North Londoners want at least €20m for the Swiss national team skipper and Roma are yet to meet that valuation.