Juventus are on the verge of finally signing Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo.
The Euro 2020 winner with Italy has been a long-term target of the Bianconeri, who have gotten creative in their efforts to secure his signature.
Tuttomercatoweb report that Locatelli will initially sign a two-year loan deal with Juventus, with the obligation to buy.
It effectively means, Juve can hold off on paying a €35million euro fee for the 23-year old until the summer of 2023.
Locatelli started Italy's first two games at Euro 2020, scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Switzerland, before making way for a fit-again Marco Veratti.
He started his career with AC Milan, making his Serie A debut at the age of 18 in a game against Carpi in 2016.
Locatelli would make 63 appearances for Milan, before securing a loan move to Sassuolo in 2018. That move was such a success, that the Emiglia-Romagna club made it permanent the following summer.
He's made 99 appearances for Sassuolo, helping solidify them as a top-half Serie A side.
Locatelli's arrival is also likely to cast further doubt on attempts to re-sign Miralem Pjanic.
The Bosnian only left Juve for Barcelona last summer in a partial swap with Arthur Melo. However, Barça's catastrophic financial state is forcing them to find suitors for several players, Pjanic included.
Pjanic is earning a reported €7.5million a year at the Camp Nou, and Juve would find it difficult to match those wages.
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