According to a report from CalcioMercato, Arsenal are set to battle Atletico Madrid and AC Milan for the signature of Juventus’ Merih Demiral in January. The Turk is out of favour in Turin having played just one game in all competitions so far.
Juventus paid just £15.4m (AS) for Demiral in the summer but are set to make a massive profit off of him. The Italian champions value Demiral at £34.3m and the report reveals that the price tag does not faze Arsenal.
The Gunners already have a mountain to climb after losing to Leicester City on Saturday. Unai Emery’s side are eight points behind fourth-placed Manchester City and the biggest problem has been the defence.
We have conceded 18 goals so far and have a -1 goal difference, the worst among the current top-nine. The defensive issues have to be resolved in January for us to have any chance of making it into the top four and Demiral could help us achieve that.
Better than Bonucci?
The Turk is the complete package. At 6ft 3in tall, he is brilliant in the air but his skills in ground duels make him stand out. Demiral averaged twice as many tackles per game as Leonardo Bonucci during his time at Sassuolo last season.
The 21-year-old 1v1 defending is arguably the best in the world for defenders of his age. He has a good passing range and his composure on the ball is fantastic for his age. Demiral’s ability to play out from the back makes him a good fit for Arsenal who have struggled to do that efficiently since the start of last season.
Emery has little time to turn things around at Arsenal and a big defensive signing could help boost morale. Demiral will undoubtedly be one of the best defenders in the world in the coming years and Arsenal should go in for him before he is snapped up by someone else in January.
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