Juventus eyeing €40 million move for Sassuolo midfielder by selling Aaron Ramsey - Reports

According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport (as reported by Football Italia), Juventus are looking to make room on their wage bill to bring in Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli by selling Welshman Aaron Ramsey.

Locatelli has been heavily linked with a move to the Old Lady over the past 18 months, and Juventus finally looked set to sign him last summer. However, Sassuolo's transfer fee demands were reportedly too high.

The Italian has already made 25 appearances for Sassuolo this season and has been an essential part of Roberto De Zerbi's side since moving from AC Milan in 2018.

Juventus are eyeing a deal worth around €40 million for the Italian international, but before that, they are reportedly looking to offload Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman has failed to impress during his stint with the Bianconeri as injuries have kept him out of the side for prolonged periods of time.

The former Arsenal midfielder has been heavily linked with a return to the Premier League as Juventus plan for a fresh look at the center of the park next season.

The Old Lady have also been linked with a deal for Olympique Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, but will have to break the bank significantly to meet the French club's €50 million valuation for the midfielder.

Juventus need to respond to Champions League elimination on the pitch: Andrea Pirlo

Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo

Despite a shock elimination from the Round of 16 of the Champions League at the hands of Porto, Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo has remained calm about speculation regarding his and his team's future.

"We spoke within the dressing room (following the Champions League elimination). This isn't the moment to be talking too much, our strength has always been giving our response on the pitch. I think if we maintain that unity, we'll do well," Pirlo said following Juventus' 3-1 win over Cagliari.

The defeat to Porto made it Juventus' third consecutive elimination from the Champions League against underwhelming opposition. All 3 of those defeats have come under different managers, but Pirlo was relatively unfazed, claiming a response to the setback needs to come on the pitch.

"All we can do is focus on our own results, getting as many points as possible, winning as many games as possible and then at the end seeing where we are," the Italian concluded.