Real Madrid monitoring star CB in Serie A
By Amir Elrafie
With the departures of club legends Sergio Ramos and Raphaël Varane coming at the end of the 2020/21 season, it seemed as if Real Madrid were ready to deal with a defensive headache for the upcoming campaign following the departures of both superstars.
There was cause for concern regarding their departures as both players developed a formidable bond and understanding and ended up becoming Madrid’s core center-back partnership for nearly a decade.
However, it looks as if the initial defensive worries for Los Blancos have gone way this season following the crucial partnership between Éder Militão and David Alaba turning out to be a revelation for the Spanish league leaders so far.
Despite this bond of Militão and Alaba proving to be ever so important, Madrid could be set to bolster their defensive options as they have taken an interest in Atalanta’s Merih Demiral.
As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Atalanta are preparing to sign Demiral from Juventus on a permanent deal worth €25m, but Los Blancos could lie in wait for his signature.
Demiral has become a crucial player for Atalanta this season and it is unlikely they would want to get rid of him
The Turkish defender is currently out on loan with the Bergamo outfit; however, his recent performances have impressed manager Gian Piero Gasperini and Atalanta are eager to finalize the deal as soon as possible.
With Atalanta preparing to pay €25m for the 24-year-old, there is also a possibility they could be looking to move him on for a significant fee as Madrid are interested and could come in with an offer of around €50m to secure Demiral’s services.
While Atalanta has not yet made the deal permanent, it looks as if the Turkish center back has become an indispensable member of their squad, and Gasperini could be keen on keeping him.
After losing Cristian Romero to Tottenham Hotspur, it is unlikely Atalanta would be looking to push Demiral out of the club as they want to solidify their stance as Serie A title challengers, and having the Turkish defender would help them do so.
Should Real Madrid manage to bring in Demiral, it raises the question of what kind of role he’ll serve in Ancelotti’s side. Militão and Alaba are proven starters at the club, so Demiral would most likely be performing in a rotational position. He’d probably accept a bigger role with Atalanta, to be quite honest, but then again, it’s tough to say no to Madrid.
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We’ll have to wait and see how Florentino Pérez will be managing Real Madrid’s spending in the transfer market, but with all eyes on the arrival of Kylian Mbappé and potentially even Erling Haaland, it remains to be seen whether or not a center back is of top priority for Madrid.