Juventus star on Borussia Dortmund’s radar this summer: Reports

According to various reports in Italy, Borussia Dortmund are ready to send in their first bid for Juventus star, Merih Demiral.

The Turkish defender has been in line behind the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini. It has seen him being benched more often than he would have liked. Demiral clocked in only 1661 minutes making 24 appearances last season.

The 23-year-old center back wants to get in more minutes on the pitch in Turin. However, should Juventus fail to provide that, he wants the club to sell him this summer.

Borussia Dortmund are interested in Juventus centre back Merih Demiral. Many clubs want him and BVB are preparing a bid for Demiral. 🇹🇷 #BVB #JuveJuventus price tag for Demiral is around €35m. Borussia Dortmund will decide soon, Atalanta still an option if Romero leaves.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 25, 2021

Demiral has always been on Atalanta’s list as Cristian Romero's replacement if the Argentine was to join Tottenham Hotspur. However, according to the latest reports from Sky Sports Italia, another suitor is now looking to sign Demiral.

Borussia Dortmund have now set their sights on the player and are ready to bid for the former Sassuolo defender.

Juventus are looking for €35 million for the sale of Merih Demiral

Merih Demiral in action for Juventus

Juventus are ready to sell Demiral and are looking for a fee around €35 million for the young defender. However, Borussia Dortmund are not yet prepared to match that price tag. The Germans consider this fee to be too expensive for a player who has been down the pecking order at Juventus for quite a while now.

Borussia Dortmund would prefer to sign Demiral on an initial loan deal and then consider the permanent status of the player after the expiry of the loan.

❗️#BVB have no intention of spending €30M for the signing of #Demiral. A loan deal + option or obligation to buy is possible.[@SkySportDE]

— Juventus Area (@juventus_area) July 26, 2021

Juventus seem determined to make good money from his sale. However,they risk being stuck with him for at least another season should they fail to come to an agreement with another club. With Daniele Rugani back and Radu Dragusin breaking into the first team, the Bianconeri may have too many defenders in their squad.

Demiral had joined Juventus for €18 Million in 2019 from Sassuolo. The defender has played 32 games for the Bianconeri since. He suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in January 2020 against Roma, which is also the only game he has scored for Juventus in.

Demiral could reunite with former Juventus star Emre Can if he were to move to Borussia Dortmund. Emre Can moved to Germany in January 2020 for the very reason of getting more game time, which now seems to be Demiral’s intention.