Manuel Locatelli Leaves AC Milan on Reported €12m Loan-to-Permanent Deal Amid FFP Issues
Manuel Locatelli has left AC Milan to join fellow Serie A outfit Sassuolo on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy, the club confirmed on Monday.
The 20-year-old midfielder featured 17 times for Rossonerilast season in the Italian top flight as the San Siro club almost missed out on European qualification after endangering themselves with FFP regulations.
It was thought that boss Gennaro Gattuso could once again utilise the Italy Under-21 international for the upcoming term in a similar way to the back end of last year.
However, as Milan stated via their official website on Monday, that will not be the case, with the player leaving the club initially on a one-year loan which will become a permanent switch at the end of the agreement.
"AC Milan announces the agreement for the player Manuel Locatelli to join US Sassuolo Calcio on a loan deal with an obligation to buy," the statement read.
"AC Milan wishes Manuel the best of luck in his future sporting career, thanking him for his professionalism and commitment to the club."
According to Football Italia, the initial loan fee is in the region of around €2m, which will then be topped up by a further €10m plus €2m in bonuses in 12 months' time.
The report also claims that despite Locatelli's age and ability, Milan have included no buyback clause in the agreement.
The midfielder made 63 appearances for the club before falling down the pecking order under Rino.
