Juventus’ negotiations with Sassuolo for Manuel Locatelli are going poorly, raising Arsenal hopes of a deal for the Italian international.

Di Marzio report that Juventus met with Sassuolo on Friday to try and agree a deal for Manuel Locatelli, submitting their first official offer. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t well received.

Juventus are offering a two-year loan with an obligation to buy based on certain conditions set at €30m, with some bonuses included on top of that.

Sassuolo want €40m and a sale, not a loan. According to Di Marzio, Arsenal are offering that €40m, so Sassuolo want Juventus to meet that offer.

There are obviously two big fears with this story. One is that Arsenal are being taken advantage of, with Sassuolo leading them on when they know Locatelli only wants Juventus, so they can get a better fee.

The other is that Arsenal aren’t seriously interested at all, and the fans and the media are all wasting their time following a story fabricated by Sassuolo to put pressure on Juventus.

There certainly isn’t much doubt about what the player wants. His goal is to join Juventus, which is why Sassuolo haven’t just accepted Arsenal’s reported offer and sold him. As long as Juventus are still an option, Locatelli is going to hold out for that move.

If Arsenal’s interest is genuine, if their offer is genuine, and if Locatelli would consider a move to Arsenal when Juventus are off the table, then this story could still have a happy ending.

Juventus could continue to mess around with bids and deal structures that Sassuolo aren’t happy with, before pulling out completely and leaving the way open for Arsenal.

There are just too many hypotheticals in that scenario to seriously consider it right now.