Atalanta have reportedly agreed the sale of defender Merih Demiral to Al-Ahli for €20m, after he was a target for Inter and Premier League sides.

According to Sky Sport Italia and Foot Mercato, the two clubs have reached a full agreement and the player accepted personal terms.

Fanatik specify that the cost of the transfer is going to be circa €20m and Turkey international Demiral will sign a three-year contract worth €11m per season.

It had been evident for some months that Demiral was not going to stay with Atalanta, as his rapport with coach Gian Piero Gasperini had broken down and he spent much of last season on the bench.

Inter had hoped to bring in the 25-year-old as a replacement for Milan Skriniar, but the €20m asking price was too much for them.

There was also interest from Premier League sides, but Demiral is now heading to the Saudi Pro League and should fly out tomorrow for a medical.

Sassuolo brought him to Serie A for the first time in January 2019 and he was sold to Juventus for €19.5m, then on to Atalanta for €21m.

As part of that deal, Juve would be owed 10 per cent of anything over €20m in the sell-on fee, so they will receive nothing.

Meanwhile, Atalanta expect to replace Demiral with Isak Hien from Hellas Verona.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *