With the negotiations between Juventus and Sassuolo going at a slow pace, the Bianconeri management are reportedly contemplating alternatives for Manuel Locatelli.

The Euro 2020 winner remains the club’s primary target, but after months of negotiations, the two societies are yet to reach an agreement over the transfer figures.

Amongst the new names who have recently emerged as potential candidates to wear the black and white jersey next season, we find Renato Sanches.

The Portugal international is a youth product of Benfica who rose to fame following his exploits at Euro 2016 despite being a mere teenager at the time.

After an ill-fated spell at Bayern Munich, and a forgettable loan move to Swansea, the young midfielders reignited his playing career in Ligue 1.

Sanches moved to Lille in 2019, and helped his side in winning the domestic league at the expense of a shell-shocked Paris Saint Germain.

But according to Calciomercato via JuveNews, the Portuguese would cost the Old Lady 40 million euros – which is the exact same figure demanded for Locatelli’s services.

Therefore, a move to Sanches makes little sense for Juventus in the current circumstances. If the management is willing to pay such figures, then they would have landed their primary transfer target several weeks ago, and spared themselves the lengthy negotiation process.

Juventus and Sassuolo are expected to meet during the week for a fourth round of negotiations – potentially on Friday.