Juventus center back Matthijs de Ligt is getting most of the plaudits and has name recognition, but Merih Demiral is just as good.
A rebuild is taking place in Turin this summer, as Andrea Pirlo has taken over for Maurizio Sarri. Juventus shocked the footballing world with this managerial change, but it could pay huge dividends if, as Juve hope, Pirlo can have a similar impact as Zinedine Zidane in spite of his own complete lack of experience.
Juve will be targeting midfielders and attackers in an effort to get young and better as a squad, and that will require financial investment. They will make plenty of swap deals and sell a number of players who no longer have a place in the squad.
One position Juve don’t have to worry about is center back, because they literally have two of the best young center backs in world football. Matthijs de Ligt returned to form as one of the best center backs in Europe after needing an adjustment period to Serie A, while Merih Demiral was arguably the team’s best player after Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala before suffering an injury that cost him most of the season.
According to Bianconeri Zone on Twitter, Sportitalia have reported that Napoli would be interested in signing Demiral from Juve if Kalidou Koulibaly were to leave this summer. Koulibaly is on the radar of big clubs as one of the world’s best center backs, but it is hard to envision him moving this summer due to the current economic situation in football. Demiral is said to be a favorite of legendary Italian midfielder and current Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso.
Juventus can expect more interest in Merih Demiral
All I can say is this. There will be many teams who will show interest in Merih Demiral over the next several transfer windows. The 22-year-old Turkish international is a wonderful player who can score goals, complete over 90 percent of his passes, and defend arguably as well as anybody else on the team.
Demiral is seriously that good. He should honestly get a chance to start over the experienced Leonardo Bonucci next season, playing alongside de Ligt. He and de Ligt are the future of the Bianconeir’s defense, which was always a strength of the team before Maurizio Sarri came into town. (Though Sarri isn’t entirely to blame, of course.)
The offers will keep coming for Demiral, because who wouldn’t want a 22-year-old center back with his all-round skill-set? Everyone wants a player like Demiral in their side. And Juve, per Sportitalia, are the same way. That same report mentioned that Juventus will reject Napoli’s offer, since they view Demiral as a long-term starter. As they should. And by that logic, they will reject anyone else’s transfer overtures, too.
Demiral is a building block player. He’s a guy who can legitimately spend the next decade in Turin with de Ligt as his center back partner and become the next legendary defensive duo in Serie A. The potential is there. And that’s the kind of opportunity you don’t sell away at any price. There is no conceivable price that would be worth it.