Juventus Transfers: Why Merih Demiral shouldn’t be sold to Everton

Juventus had offers for him in the summer transfer window of 2020 and the January transfer window of 2021. But, they chose not to listen to them. They valued Merih Demiral as a prospect for the future. So why are the rumours of the 23-year-old defender’s potential departure making the headlines now? Have Juventus lost their faith in the Turkish international? Or, has there ever been that sort of faith in a player who just joined the Piedmontese club in July 2019?

Is this going too fast? Okay, let us break everything down for you one by one. A report from Calciomercato last night came out of the blue, claiming that an official bid of around €30 million from Everton is “coming” for Demiral this summer. The offer is expected to be “between 25 and 30 million”.

The report further mentioned that the player and the former Juventus manager in Carlo Ancelotti had been in verbal negotiations for a while. The Merseysiders are understandably ready to pay €3 million to the defender, who currently earns a net salary of €1.8 million at Juventus. The sum makes him one of the lowest earners in the Bianconeri squad. From a financial point of view, a summer move to Everton seems absolutely perfect for the Turkish.

But why are Everton considering making a bid so early?

As an avid watcher of European football, you must know a summer transfer window opens after the conclusion of a regular season. But Everton don’t want to wait for that long, instead are intended to put a bid on Juve’s table as soon as possible — maybe before the inauguration of the 2021 summer transfer market, but why?

Merih Demiral is to play in the European Championship this summer for his national team, Turkey. Usually, underrated players choose this sort of grand occasion to portray their skill sets. Just like some of the other young members in the current Juventus roster, Demiral would eye this tournament to make his mark amid other superstars.

A decent campaign for Turkey and the individual could see Demiral getting more global recognition. And hence, a plethora of European heavyweights will fly in and start looking to secure his signature after the end of the delayed Euro 2020.

Everton and Carlo Ancelotti want to avoid that situation. More attention potentially means more clubs interested to pay more money to get the deal over the line. Should this kind of situation emerge, chances for Everton would get narrower, and their reported €30 million bid would go in vain.

What is Juventus’ stance on the matter?

Calciomercato claims that Juventus will evaluate the situation. Signed for €18 million in 2019, Demiral put pen to a five-year contract, which is bound to keep him in Turin until June 2024. Since joining the Old Lady, the 23-year-old has played 31 games — 23 of which have come from the 2020-21 campaign.

Despite impressing a lot with his defensive attributes, Demiral has suffered five different injuries (as per Transfermarkt) this season — a facet that truly concerns Juventus management. And, he is still recovering from muscle fatigue.

In the middle of the financial conundrum inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Juve see Demiral’s sale as a reasonable way to pocket some cash. They are told to be “in a hurry” and are likely to offload a number of players in the approaching summer to ease their economic burden.

Why should not they consider selling the star in the making?

At the age of 23, Demiral is a superstar in his country and his nation’s one of the glaring hopes for success in the forthcoming European Championship. His sale might bring an adequate amount of money at the door of the north Italian club, but they would miss out on the opportunity to embrace the talent that lured them to sign him after just six months of extensive scouting in Serie A.

Furthermore, Juventus club captain Giorgio Chiellini might hang his boots or at least choose to leave for a new adventure elsewhere following the ongoing campaign. Leonardo Bonucci, 33, is thought to follow his long-term partner’s suit in a year or two. And then, a huge void will become apparent in the middle of Juve’s aging centre-back department.

For the sake of a jolly tomorrow, Juventus must keep hold of Merih Demiral. Failure in doing so would only cause further chaos and misery. Over the past few years, Juventus have had made several erroneous decisions in regard to their transfer activities. They should stop doing that. Otherwise, they would be the reason for their own downfall.