Atalanta have set their sights on Juventus centre-back Merih Demiral as a replacement for the soon departing Cristian Romero.
Romero, who joined Juventus in a €26m deal from Genoa in 2019, signed a two-year loan deal with Atalanta last summer, with La Dea making the move permanent in June following the defender’s outstanding season that saw him win Serie A’s Defender of the Year.
The Argentine defender, however, is set to be on the move again with Fabio Paratici and Tottenham Hotspur closing in on a €50m+ deal for the 23-year-old. Atalanta, though, are waiting to sign a bona fide replacement before sanctioning Romero’s sale.
La Dea have already brought in the talented Matteo Lovato from Hellas Verona this summer, but they don’t view the Italy Under-21 international as Romero’s successor. Instead, Demiral appears to be their man.
Loan to buy
Demiral is supposedly keen on exiting Turin this summer in search of regular first-team football elsewhere. Borussia Dortmund were interested, but the German giants refused to pay Juve’s €35m asking price.
Atalanta’s interest in the Turkish defender has been well-documented this summer, but they too have been reluctant to match the Bianconeri’s valuation. However, the clubs have now reached a compromise.
Gianluca Di Marzio reported on Monday that Juventus are happy to let Demiral leave the club on loan (for a fee) this summer with an option to buy at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. Mirko Di Natale, meanwhile, added that the option will become an obligation based on Demiral’s appearances. Natale, however, also added that the defender is yet to reach an agreement with Atalanta over personal terms.
Various reports suggest that the loan fee for 2021/22 is €5m and €25m for the defender’s permanent sale at the end of next season.
Considering Demiral’s skill set, there’s no doubting that’s a clause Atalanta will trigger should the 23-year-old, who’s had injury issues in the past, remain fit. He’s the optimal Romero replacement, with their proactive, aggressive and aerially dominant profiles incredibly similar.
Ironically, you feel Juventus are making a similar mistake to the one they made with Romero.