lyon already got a bargaining chip
iirc locatelli is rated at 40m by sassuolo. not something i'd call cheap. they also want to keep the guy as they have a genuine shot at a cup place finish. i reckon he'd be a similarly hard deal (if not harder) than aouar. aulas tried to sell the guy for a loan+obligation last summer, and the lowest rumored fee was 35m.
and don't get me wrong, both would be an upgrade on our current mediocre bunch. i just don't see locatelli as an easy target.