Merih Demiral is reportedly eager to leave Juventus, who have, in turn, slapped a €50 million price tag on him, with Liverpool and Real Madrid monitoring his situation.

According to a report by Turkish outlet Fanatik, Merih Demiral is worried over his prospects at the UEFA European Championship this coming summer and is, therefore, looking to leave Juventus. Liverpool and Real Madrid are among the clubs that are keeping tabs on his situation, with the Serie A champions set to demand €50 million in exchange of his services.

Demiral joined Juventus from Sassuolo in the summer of 2019 and has since made slow progress in his career. With the likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonuccu and Matthijs de Ligt being his competitors for the central defensive berths, the player’s job was never going to be easy in his quest to become a mainstay at the back.

His predicament has only been worsened further by a couple of long-term injuries, all of which have meant that he has featured in just 17 of the 73 matches that Juventus have played since his arrival. With the likes of de Ligt, Bonucci and Chiellini still ahead of him in the pecking order, the 22-year-old is eager for a January departure, which has alerted Liverpool, Real Madrid and others.

On the radars of Real Madrid and Liverpool. (Photo by Yifan Ding/Getty Images)
On the radars of Real Madrid and Liverpool. (Photo by Yifan Ding/Getty Images)

Liverpool have been reported to be in the market for a centre-back for a long time now, with the long-term injuries suffered by Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez forcing their hand. Joel Matip’s own fitness battles have meant that Jurgen Klopp was forced to field Jordan Henderson as a makeshift centre-back alongside Fabinho against Southampton, an experiment that arguably failed.

With youngsters Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams not deemed to be regulars, it is suffice that say that it is imperative for Liverpool to sign a centre-back, which is why they have been linked with several such options, including David Carmo and now, Demiral. The Reds, though, have Real Madrid to compete with in pursuit of the Turkish defender.

Real Madrid’s need for a centre-back has cropped up due to Sergio Ramos’s uneasy contract situation. With the Real Madrid captain being linked with Manchester City among other big name suitors, the defending La Liga champions may need to lay down a succession plan, especially with Eder Militao not being preferred as a regular option by Zinedine Zidane.

To that end, it makes sense for Real Madrid to scour the possibility of signing Demiral. Apart from Los Blancos and Liverpool, the likes of Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City are all showing an interest in the 22-year-old, who is valued at €50 million by Juvenuts.

The report makes it clear that Juventus will not entertain any loan offers for Demiral and would want to cash in on him, if he is intent on departing the Allianz Stadium. What now remains to be seen is if Liverpool, Real Madrid or any other suitor meet his €50 million, as he looks for a fresh venture to nail down his spot for Turkey at the Euros this coming summer.

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