While it remains to be seen whether Arsenal can afford to fork over €40m for Locatelli this summer, it does seem as though they’re clearing space for him in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
The club have already loaned Matteo Guendouzi to Marseille, while Martin Odegaard and Dani Ceballos have both returned to Real Madrid after their loan spells in London.
As well as that, it now seems as though Granit Xhaka could be heading the opposite way in a €20m move to Roma. Which means Arteta is already down four central midfielders from last season.
However, that doesn’t mean Locatelli is on his way to the Premier League just yet. Not only would Arsenal have to overcome the reported €40m asking price for the player but may also have another player arriving at the club in the exact same position, in the form of Lokonga from Anderlecht.