Roma are looking to add a defender and inquired about Merih Demiral, whom Juventus may sell. However, the Bianconeri have slapped a €40M price tag on the center-back, which is too high for the Giallorossi. His agents met with the Old Lady yesterday to discuss his future, Sky Sport reported.
Roma will likely have an opening in the back as they plan to move on from Chris Smalling. The Englishman has been linked to Everton and to a Premier League return in general in recent weeks. The Giallorossi are likely to miss out on Sergio Ramos, considering a richer offer coming from PSG.
Demiral could be on his way out as Juventus need funds for their transfer market strategies. He moved to Turin two years ago for 2019 for €18M, and he could fetch double that amount now. Atalanta also moved for him last week but got the same answer. The Bianconeri arranged some swaps with La Lupa and the Bergamaschi in the past, but it looks like they want to monetize his sale as much as possible. He was also on Everton’s radar before the departure of Carlo Ancelotti.
Juventus also received a call from Real Betis concerning Daniele Rugani, Tuttomercatoweb reported. He is coming off a so-so season split between Rennes and Cagliari on loan. The Spanish club is searching for an experienced defender. The Old Lady are likely to let him go for a decent offer, but they will not give him up for nothing, as his agent recently stated.