TuttoMercatoWeb have named Tottenham Hotspur among the three clubs who showed interest in snapping up Atalanta centre-back Merih Demiral during last month’s transfer window.
Demiral impressed on loan at Atalanta last season, which prompted Gian Piero Gasperini’s men to pay €20m (£17.8m) to snap up the Turk last summer.
(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
The 24-year-old did start the campaign solidly but he has not been a regular in Atalanta’s starting eleven since the Serie A’s restart.
TMW now reveal that three different clubs enquired about Demiral’s availability during January, including Spurs.
The report explains that Fabio Paratici was the driving force behind Tottenham’s interest in the central defender, with the Italian said to be a ‘big admirer’ of the player, who he signed for Juve.
Nottingham Forest also allegedly showed interest in Demiral last month but were not able to get a deal over the line.
TMW add that Inter Milan had earmarked the Atalanta star as the replacement for Milan Skrniar had the Slovak left in January and suggest that the Nerazzurri could return again for the defender in the summer.
Spurs Web Opinion
Demiral has shown at Atalanta that he can be a decent option in the middle of a back three. However, if Antonio Conte is still at Spurs next season (which is a big ‘if’), I suspect he would want a defender of a much higher calibre than the 24-year-old.
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