Merih Demiral is about to join Atalanta, but Juventus might stay put in the back. Gian Piero Gasperini singled him out to replace Cristian Romero, who will go to Tottenham, and the two sides are putting the finishing touches on the deal.
The Turkish defender will transfer on a season-long loan with the option, and not obligation, to sign him permanently next summer. His evaluation will be €28/30M between the initial sum and the prospective fee. Juventus will not have a buyback clause but will get a percentage of a future sale, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.
Demiral has okayed the move and will leave the Bianconeri after two seasons. He joined from Sassuolo for €18M in 2019 and made 32 appearances. Alongside Matteo Lovato, he will contribute to replacing Romero. Atalanta have accepted a €55M bid from the Spurs, including add-ons. First, they will activate their €16M option to acquire the Argentinian international from Juventus a year in advance.
The Bianconeri might not bring in another defensive piece despite the departure of a key reserve, Goal.com reports. As speculated when he penned a five-year extension, Radu Dragusin is in line to get more minutes. Moreover, Daniele Rugani is back in Turin following the loan spells at Rennes and Cagliari. He will reprise the role he has had for years with Massimiliano Allegri at the helm. The situation would change if one of the two left. Thus far, Juventus have been linked only to Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic as a possible addition.