Everton target Merih Demiral is hoping to leave Juventus during the summer transfer window but the Serie A champions are demanding £35 million for the Turkey international, as reported by Calciomercato.
You can see why the talented centre-half might have grown tired of life at the Allianz Stadium.
With Georgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Matthijs de Ligt all ahead of him in the pecking order, Demiral is facing up to a third straight season as Juventus’ fourth choice centre-half.
He could still fall further down the pecking order, too, should the highly-rated Radu Dragusin catch the eye of the returning Max Allegri in pre-season.
Unfortunately for Demiral, securing a move away from Turin will not be easy.
Juventus have slapped a £35 million price-tag on a man who inadvertently opened the scoring at Euro 2020, bundling a Domenico Berardi cross into his own net during the 3-0 defeat to Italy nearly three weeks ago.
And, in truth, Demiral’s performances on the international stage did little to suggest he was worth such a sum. The former Sassuolo youngster was dropped for the next group-stage game, against Wales, following his Stadio Olimpico nightmare.
Will Merih Demiral be sold to Everton or Tottenham?
According to Calciomercato, Everton were one of a number of clubs who expressed their interest in Demiral before Euro 2020.
Whether the Toffees are still keen now, after Demiral’s Turkey made a mockery of their ‘dark horses’ moniker, is anyone’s guess.
Either way, the 23-year-old faces being priced out of a move unless Juventus are willing to budge on their £35 million stance.
The 2017 Champions League finalists have already made it clear that they will not consider loan bids, even those with an option-to-buy clause included.
JuveLive reported last week that West Ham United are also interested in Demiral, while former Juventus director Fabio Paratici is weighing up a reunion at Tottenham Hotspur.
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