Arsenal reportedly willing to spend £34m on Juventus ace, but do Tottenham need him more?

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Italian outlet CalcioMercato have claimed that Arsenal are willing to meet Juventus’ asking price of £34million to sign Juventus defender Merih Demiral – but north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur need him more.

Demiral, 21, has gone through a tumultuous start to his professional career – coming through the ranks at Fenerbahce before moving to Portugal with Sporting Lisbon. A return to Turkey at Alanyaspor followed, before Sassuolo came calling.

The Serie A side signed him on loan from Alanyaspor in January and he starred in his 14 appearances during the second half of the 2018-19 campaign. Sassuolo signed him permanently, before Juventus splashed £15.5million to sign him.

Juve also signed Matthijs de Ligt in the summer, leaving Maurizio Sarri with five centre-backs for two slots. Alongside de Ligt and Demiral, Juventus also boast veterans Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini – as well as Daniele Rugani.

A 10-time Turkey international, Demiral has only played once for Juventus this season – a win over Verona. His spell at Juve has been somewhat controversial, with the defender involved in a military salute during Turkey’s 1-1 draw with France.

He has not played for Juve since, and he could now be set to play for his sixth club in Arsenal with the Gunners keen to meet Demiral’s asking price. The Gunners certainly need a centre-back, after conceding 25 goals in 18 games this season.

But Spurs’ defensive record is worse. Indeed, they have let in 26 during 17 games – and two crucially important centre-backs could leave Tottenham in January. Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are only contracted until the summer.

Both players look unlikely to sign new deals, and have both lost a yard of pace. Spurs need a centre-back more so than Arsenal and Demiral would be an excellent addition, despite his lack of action at Juventus.

Powerful in the air but boasting the technical abilites of a midfielder, Demiral would be a bargain at £34million and has the chance of earning Tottenham plenty of resale value – or plugging the leak at the back.