Arsenal and Manchester United send scouts to watch Turkish defender - report

Merih Demiral

Arsenal and Manchester United are reportedly weighing up moves for Turkey defender Merih Demiral.

Demiral joined Juventus in the summer from Sassuolo, having only moved from Alanyaspor six months earlier.

The Turkish centre-back has struggled to get game-time in Turin this season, having only featured in one game so far.

Juventus' signing of Matthijs De Ligt from Ajax always suggested Demiral would be playing a supporting role in the squad.

But now he's also seemingly fallen behind Daniel Rugani in the pecking order, meaning he sits on the bench as a fourth choice.

However, according to Tuttosport's print edition (via Football Italia), Demiral is still attracting interest from big clubs.

Arsenal and Manchester United are reported to have sent scouts to watch the 21-year-old in action for Turkey this week.

Demiral plays alongside Leicester City's Caglar Soyuncu in the heart of the Turkish defence.

The young defender impressed as Turkey held Iceland to a 0-0 draw in Reykjavik on Thursday and subsequently qualified for Euro 2020.

Arsenal are understood to be particularly keen on Demiral and are weighing up a bid of up to £34m.

The Gunners were heavily linked to Demiral's Juventus teammate Rugani last summer, but the Italian champions decided on keeping him.

In the end, Arsenal signed David Luiz from Chelsea for £8m, but it has done little to alleviate their defensive ailments.

AC Milan are reportedly also interested in Demiral, but are thought to prefer a loan deal for the defender.

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