According to Calciomercato, Tottenham have a concrete interest in Merih Demiral, and Juventus have now set a fixed price tag on his services.
The Italian news outlet claim that Spurs can sign the 19-cap Turkey international for €40 million (£34.8 million).
Why are Juventus so willing to sell?
Well, Andrea Pirlo’s side are not in the best financial situation, and are looking to raise funds by cashing in on some assets this summer.
Their desire for cash is so great that only two players in Matthijs de Ligt and Dejan Kulusevski are seen as non-transferable.
At 23 years of age, Demiral has already gained valuable experience in the Champions League, and looks to be a fine prospect.
Tottenham have had issues in the centre-back department this season, as the likes of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez struggled under José Mourinho.
A new centre-back should definitely be on Daniel Levy’s shopping list.
In Demiral, Tottenham seem to have identified a fine player.
His commanding, physical style has been likened to that of Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidić by Turkish football expert Emre Sarigul.
Juve FC quote him as saying: “Demiral was a Vidić fan growing up and he is a similar stature to the former Manchester United man. The Turkish international towers above most players, is physical, strong in the air and surprisingly technical with the ball for such a big man. He is a natural leader and cool under pressure.”
It’s not often that a club of Juventus’ size are having a fire sale, in which so many good players are obtainable for fair prices.
In that respect, Levy should stump up the £34.8 million if he really thinks Demiral is worth it.
By all accounts, he would be, in our view.
He is already a fine player, and has loads of time on his side to get even better as a result of his age.
If he’s a loyal figure too, Tottenham could have a centre-back for the next decade in Demiral – he’s definitely worth signing.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
