Arsenal sent scouts to watch Manuel Locatelli, Matteo Politano, Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Pellegrini on the weekend, as per reports.
Italian newspaper Tuttosport have reported that Arsenal sent scouts as Sassuolo hosted AC Milan at the Mapei Stadium on Sunday, when they were eyeing four promising Italian youngsters, namely Manuel Locatelli, Matteo Politano, Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Pellegrini.
The Gunners were particularly eyeing Manuel Locatelli, who unfortunately spent the entire match watching it from the bench. However, despite missing out on Sunday, the teenager has made a mark ever since progressing rapidly through the ranks to make his debut for the senior side earlier this season.
He has notched up 21 appearances in all competitions since then, and has scored two stunning long range goals. However, it is his abilities while providing cover for his defence that have particularly caught the eye, with his no-nonsense, hard tackling attitude in midfield.
Matteo Politano, meanwhile, is another one of the rising youngsters in Italy and has been a success story for Sassuolo, having joined from AS Roma last season. In a season and a half since then, he has established himself as a key figure at the Mapei Stadium and was instrumental in Sassuolo qualifying for the Europa League this season.
The 2016/17 season has been some sort of a disaster for his club, with Sassuolo sitting 13th in the Serie A table. But Politano, on his part, has done reasonably well, scoring six goals while providing as many assists in 31 matches in all competitions and being a constant menace for oppositions defences, with his dangerous runs and trickery.
Lorenzo Pellegrini has impressed for Sassuolo as well this season, with 2016/17 being his breakout season. Like Politano, this is his second campaign with the Italian strugglers and despite being all of 20, he has caught the attention of many, with Juventus, in particular being long time admirers.
He has made a mark with his versatility, as he has been equally adept at playing as a central midfielder as well as an attacking midfielder, a trait that is sure to have please Arsene Wenger. His numbers are right up there too, with Pellegrini bagging 7 goals and 5 assists in 27 matches, while being ever present in midfield for Sassuolo.
Finally, his teammate Domenico Berardi is one of the most highly sought after youngsters in Italy, with Juventus already failing in their pursuit of the 22-year-old. A fan favourite with the club, Berardi rose through the ranks at Sassuolo before establishing himself as an integral member of his side.
After an injury-hampered campaign last season, the youngster looks to be back to his best in 2016/17, having found the back of the net seven times, alongside four assists in just 14 matches, with a goal coming every 154 minutes.
With a clever change of pace, as well as a deadly eye for goal, Berardi is a player who can be an asset for many teams in Europe. And the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Juventus have all been heavily linked with a move for the 22-year-old.
The four youngsters have been highly impressive this season, and have been rightly dubbed as the future of Italian football.
Several clubs have ran the rule over them on different occasions this season, and with Arsenal joining that list, it remains to be seen if any of these players are bid for in the summer, or left to grow at their respective clubs for another season.
