According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus director Cristiano Giuntoli scouted Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino during last night’s Champions League game against PSG, but Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners remains the Old Lady’s priority.
Juventus are monitoring several central midfielders for next season and according to Wednesday’s printed edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Real Sociedad midfielder Merino is among the options for the Serie A giants.
The pink paper reports on page 14 that Giuntoli was at the Reale Arena on Tuesday night to watch Merino against PSG in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Merino’s contract with Real Sociedad expires in June 2025, so if he doesn’t extend in the next few months, his price tag will predictably decrease, becoming an exciting opportunity for the Bianconeri.
According to Gazzetta, Giuntoli also watched Merino’s teammate Robin Le Normand, a possible reinforcement in central defence, and ex-Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz, who is currently at PSG.
However, Juventus’ priority in midfield remains Atalanta midfielder Koopmeiners. According to Gazzetta, Liverpool are in front row for the Netherlands international, but the 25-year-old is open to remaining in Serie A in 2024-25.
Koopmeiners’ price tag is around €60m, but Juventus could offer Matias Soulé in a player-plus cash swap deal to lower Atalanta’s demands.
Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Georgiy Sudakov (Shakhtar Donetsk) and Lazar Samardzic (Udinese) are also potential reinforcements for the Old Lady in the summer.