Scout tells Juventus £26m Arsenal midfielder with two appearances is perfect option over Partey
Young Arsenal midfielder Charlie Patino alongside the Juventus badge
Football scout Michele Fratini has told Juventus that Charlie Patino is the perfect option for their midfield given his “great quality”.
Juventus are on the hunt for a new midfielder given the bans issued to both Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli. As per recent reports, they’ve identified a few options from the Premier League.
Of late, Kalvin Phillips has cropped up as a potential option, and former England boss Fabio Capello has told the Manchester City man that a move to Juve would be the right one for him.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is also an option, and the midfielder has apparently agreed to personal terms with the club already, and they’re trying to reduce Tottenham’s asking price.
Arsenal man Thomas Partey is also on the list, and Arsenal have set a £26million price tag – the same as what Spurs want for Hojbjerg.
It’s reportedly unlikely that Juve will be able to pay that for Partey, and that makes sense given they’re trying to get Tottenham down from the same figure.
Juve have been told of a perfect option who is also in the Arsenal ranks instead of Partey, though.
Scout tells Juve to sign Patino
Indeed, scout, Fratini, has told the Italian giants that 19-year-old Gunners midfielder Patino is the right man for them.
“They need a playmaker because Juventus doesn’t have quality,” Fratini told Rai Sport.
“One player who builds the game could be Charlie Patino of Arsenal, because he has great quality. There are many great teams following him.”
Fratini lathered on the praise for Patino, while also suggesting that Juve will have to beat a few other sides to the snare.
“[Patino] is a pure talent. He’s left-footed. He is the only [natural] playmaker in English football,” Fratini added.
“He is wanted by all the top Italian clubs, such as Milan, Juventus, Inter and Napoli. He’ll cost 30 million euros (approx £26million). He’s very strong.”
Patino unproven at the top
Fratini has suggested Patino to a number of clubs, though nobody has taken the plunge for him yet. Whether that changes remains to be seen, given there’s a lot of interest in him.
Some clubs may be waiting to see if he can cut it at the top level. Indeed, Patino has played just two senior games for Arsenal – he scored in the 2021/22 League Cup quarter-final against Sunderland.
He’s spent the last two seasons out on loan in the Championship, firstly with Blackpool and this season he’s at Swansea.
Patino has scored once and assisted four times in 12 games for the Swans so far this season, so there are no issues regarding his form in the second-tier.
However, there might be some question over whether he could immediately make the step up to a higher level, and for Juventus, who are looking to drive price tags for more experienced midfielders down, a £26million outlay could be too much of a risk.
