Borussia Dortmund and Everton to battle it out for Juventus star - Reports
Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund are reportedly set to join Everton in the race to sign Juventus defender Merih Demiral. The Turkey international has been heavily linked with a move away from Turin in recent months.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Everton were believed to be in pole position to sign the 23-year-old but will face stiff competition from Borussia Dortmund. The German club are ready to reinvest the £73 million they received from the sale of Jadon Sancho to Manchester United on new signings.
Juventus signed Demiral from Sassuolo in the summer of 2019 for €18 million. The defender enjoyed an impressive start to life in Turin but saw his progress cut short by an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Demiral spent close to eight months on the sidelines.
Demiral had to do with a bit-part role at Juventus in the recently concluded club season. The 23-year-old was behind Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Matthijs de Ligt in the pecking order at Juventus. He went on to make just 23 appearances in all competitions for the Serie A giants last season.
The Turkish defender is highly rated by the Juventus hierarchy. However, Demiral is one of the star players the club are willing to sell this summer due to their dire financial situation. Juventus are reportedly listening to offers for Demiral, Adrien Rabiot, Aaron Ramsey and Federico Bernadeschi.
Premier League side Everton have been heavily linked with a move for Demiral this summer. New Everton boss Raphael Benitez is keen to bolster the club's defense this summer. He also wants to keep hold of the likes of James Rodriguez, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.
The Toffees are, however, set to face stiff competition from Borussia Dortmund. The German club endured a poor start to their 2020-21 Bundesliga campaign and parted ways with Lucien Favre midway through the season. However, they recovered and managed to end the season in third place. They also won the DFB-Pokal cup.
Dortmund will look to use the £73 million from the sale of Sancho to Manchester United to bolster their squad this summer. Juventus are reportedly seeking a fee in the region of €35 million for Demiral.
Juventus star Merih Demiral could prefer a move to Borussia Dortmund ahead of Everton
Despite enjoying an impressive start to the 2020-21 Premier League campaign, Everton were unable to maintain consistency throughout the course of the season. The Merseyside outfit finished tenth in the Premier League table last season and thereby failed to qualify for the Europa League.
Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, finished third in the Bundesliga table and qualified for the Champions League. Juventus star Merih Demiral is keen to play Champions League football next season and could therefore prefer a move to Dortmund over Everton.
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