Atalanta have agreed the signing of Juventus defender Merih Demiral on a loan deal for the 21/22 season. There is no obligation to buy the player, but Atalanta have the option to do so for €30 million.
The transfer is a done deal, and is expected to be announced in the upcoming hours, or days once the formalities have been completed. An agreement has been reached on personal terms as well, and the player is keen to make the switch to Bergamo.
Demiral will join La Dea as the replacement for Cristian Romero. The 2021 defender of the season in Italy was pushing to move to Tottenham, and the London club have agreed a deal worth €55 million including add-ons for him. Atalanta always maintained that they wanted to sign Demiral as the replacement for Romero, and they now have their man to inherit the position.
Borussia Dortmund were rumoured to be in the race for Demiral, but have not placed a formal bid to sign the player. Atalanta’s quick work means that they have Gian Piero Gasperini’s first choice centre-back lined up for the summer.
Demiral entered Serie A on a six-month loan deal at Sassuolo. He signed a permanent deal with them on July 1st, 2019 for €8 million, but only four days later, left for Juventus for €18 million. At 23, he has earned 24 caps for the Turkey national team and was also part of their Euro 2020 squad.
