Manchester United linked with surprise Maguire alternative
A report published by Turkish Football claims that Manchester United is now ready to target Juventus center back Merih Demiral as an alternative to Harry Maguire.
This comes hours after the Old Lady of Turin announced the high-profile signing of Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax Amsterdam, concluding a transfer saga that has stretched for most of the summer transfer window.
Demiral himself only joined Juventus from Sassuolo earlier in July, in a deal worth €18 million. Sassuolo, in turn, signed him on a permanent deal only 7 months ago in January, from Alanyaspor in Turkey.
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The 21-year-old Turkish international has already played for 4 different clubs in his short career, with Juve being his 5th. And the arrival of Dutch superstar de Ligt has him concerned regarding the amount of game time he will receive under Maurizio Sarri next season.
He first shot into the spotlight during Turkey’s shock 2-0 win over France in Euro 2020 qualifying. His solid display in defense helped keep the likes of Mbappe, Pogba and Griezmann silent, apart from assisting Turkey’s opener.
Demiral’s tackling and strength stood out in a string of impressive performances for Sassuolo in the second half of last season.
At the Allianz stadium though, the likes of de Ligt, Bonucci, Chiellini and Rugani are likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order.
Manchester United are desperate to sign a center back before the summer window slams shut, with Harry Maguire being the only player seriously linked with the Red Devils.
Leicester’s £80 million asking price has understandably stalled the deal, considering the fact that a player like de Ligt with better stats than Maguire went for a significantly lower sum.
United’s defense leaked 54 goals last season, and unless a solid center back is signed for the 2019/20 campaign to partner Victor-Lindelof?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-” onclick=”sr_record_analytics_event(‘newsfeed_click’,”, sr_record_directory(),’sr_tracker’);”>Victor Lindelof, Champions League qualification could prove to be a difficult task.
It is understood that Juve is not keen on loaning or selling Demiral to another Italian club, which could provide United a boost ahead of other suitors like AC Milan, who have already had an offer rejected.
Atletico Madrid could provide competition to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having lost captain Diego Godin to Inter Milan.
Juve’s depth in defense could yet persuade Sarri to sell Demiral and make a profit off the youngster, and United will surely save a considerable amount by opting a move for him ahead of Maguire or Kalidou Koulibaly.
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Demiral himself has generally only played for clubs where he will be a first choice, and he has a much better chance of breaking into the starting XI at United rather than at Juventus. However, at just 21 years of age, it remains to be seen if he’s ready for regular Premier League action.