Serie A giants Juventus could reportedly offer Merih Demiral in a swap deal for Chelsea midfielder Jorginho.
According to Calciomercatoweb, Juventus are considering a swap deal which would see centre-back Merih Demiral move to Chelsea in exchange for midfielder Jorginho. The Serie A giants are desperate to offload the 24-year-old Turkish defender, who spent last season on loan at Atalanta.
The 24-year-old joined Juventus from Sassuolo in the 2019 summer transfer window but was not able to cement a spot in the first team and was sent on a loan to Atalanta two years later. La Dea have the option to make the move permanent for €18 million.
However, the Bergamo-based outfit decided against signing Demiral permanently, and the 24-year-old is now set to return to Juventus. But the Turkish defender does not feature in manager Massimilano Allegri’s plans going forward, and the Serie A club are thus eager to sell him permanently this summer amid interest from Chelsea.
Inter Milan were reportedly linked with a move for Demiral as they could lose one of their two first-choice centre-backs this summer amid links with Chelsea, Tottenham and others. But as per the report, the Turkish international is most likely to move to the Premier League.
Newcastle United are believed to be admirers and are keen to sign him. The Magpies are reportedly ready to pay €20 million for the 24-year-old defender. But Juventus are expecting at least €30 million for the Demiral and are thus exploring other options as well.
Juventus could offer Demiral in a swap deal to Chelsea that would see Jorginho move the other way. The 30-year-old has just a year left on his contract with the Blues, and a renewal does not seem to be on the cards. Jorginho is also no longer one of the first names on the team sheet, and Tuchel does not consider him an ‘untouchable’.
Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli has long wanted to bring the Italian international to the Serie A club and wants the Chelsea vice-captain to play alongside Paul Pogba, Manuel Locatelli and Denis Zakaria in the midfield. Allegri, as reported by the report, ‘would not mind’ having Jorginho in his squad.
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As far as Chelsea are concerned, the Blues are in the market for central defensive signings, which Juventus are aware of, and are thus offering Demiral in exchange for Jorginho. It will be interesting to see if the swap deal involving the Turk and the Chelsea vice-captain sees the light of day.
