Al-Ahli will poach a second defender from Serie A after snapping up Roger Ibanez, as they have come to terms with Atalanta to acquire Merih Demiral. Only the final okay by the player is missing before the completion of the deal.
According to Calciomercato, La Dea will cash in €20M. The center-back will earn €13M annually for the next three years. He had been frozen out earlier in the summer due to divergences with coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
Demiral has been linked to Inter multiple times, but the Nerazzurri are pursuing different options, and Al-Ahli intervened with a flash deal. He’ll join Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, and Allan Saint-Maximin if there aren’t hiccups. Piotr Zielinski is likely to be their next addition.
Juventus will benefit from the transfer too. They’ll get about €2M dueThey’llesale clause. The Turk had completed a permanent move to Atalanta for an equivalent sum last summer after an initial loan spell. He notched 70 appearances in Bergamo. The Orobici might now act on their reported interest in Isak Hien, which was stalling due to lack of exits in the back.
Our Take on Demiral to Al-Ahli
The Saudis solve another sizeable problem for a Serie A side, as La Dea was struggling to find a taker. Considering his mercuriality and seesawing displays, he wasn’t an enticing target for Inter.
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