Juventus confirm defender Merih Demiral will join Atalanta for £18m after the Bergamo side exercised their right to make Turkey centre-back’s loan deal permanent following successful season
- Juventus’ Merih Demiral will join Serie A rivals Atalanta on a permanent basis
- The Bergamo side exercised their right to buy Demiral for a fee of £18million
- Demiral spent last season on loan at Atalanta, who finished eighth in Serie A
Turkish defender Merih Demiral will join Atalanta on a permanent basis after exercising their right to buy the player.
Juventus will receive £18million for the 24-year-old centre-back, who spent the season on loan at the Bergamo side, playing 42 games and scoring twice in all competitions.
The Turin giants announced the deal in a club statement, detailing that they would receive an additional £2.15m (€2.5m) in performance based bonuses.
Merih Demiral joins Atalanta after playing 42 games on loan, following two seasons at Juventus
Despite showing promise early on in his Juventus career, Demiral only made 32 games at the Turin club having joined from Sassuolo in 2019.
The Turkey international did break into the first team in the 2019/20 season, but after rupturing a cruciate ligament and missing 19 games, he never really managed to reclaim his spot in the side.
Demiral was reportedly on Newcastle manager Eddie Howe’s radar, and scouts were spotted watching him whilst on loan at Atalanta last season.
Demiral has represented Turkey 35 times and scored twice in the process for his country
Having struggled at times in a disappointing season, Juventus fans will hope to see the proceeds from the transfer reinvested into strengthening the team, and they have been strongly linked with a move for former player Paul Pogba.
Juve look to have won the battle to sign Pogba as a free agent following talks with his lawyer Rafaela Pimenta as the sides move closer to agreeing terms over a four-year deal.
United will lose their record £89million signing to the Italians for the second time after Sportsmail revealed Pogba cost the club nearly £1m per game during his six years back at Old Trafford and will pocket a £3.78m loyalty bonus when he officially leaves on June 30.
Paul Pogba is moving closer to a return to Juventus after leaving the club in 2016 for United
They are also reportedly ready to make a second bid to sign Angel Di Maria in a last-ditch attempt to beat Barcelona to the Argentine winger.
Di Maria is leaving Paris Saint-Germain on a free at the end of his contract following seven seasons with the Ligue 1 club.
The 34-year-old is among the most high-profile free agents available in the summer transfer window, with both Juventus and Barcelona interested in signing him.
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