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Matthew Holt

Glowing praise issued for Newcastle United target Merih Demiral amid transfer speculation

Newcastle United have already received glowing praise from managers and players alike regarding summer transfer target Merih Demiral.

The 24-year-old spent the 2021/22 campaign on loan with Serie A side Atalanta but is said to have been told he is free to look elsewhere regarding his future by parent club Juventus.

A Turkey international, Demiral is valued at around the €30million mark with his experience at the top level something that seems to be attracting the Magpies attention this summer.

READ MORE: Peter Kenyon 'fronting consortium' to buy Everton after failed Newcastle United takeover bid

Spending his early days with Turkish side Alanyaspor before his move to Sassuolo and then Juventus, the defender was tipped by former manager Sergen Yalcin to reach the very top of the game long before his time in Italy.

“Merih Demiral will be a Premier League player within 1-2 seasons. The Turkish national team has its new centre-back for the next 10-12 years," said Yalcin following the confirmation of his move to Sassuolo back in 2019.

Described as a smart reader of the game too, the former Fenerbahce academy graduate's future may come as puzzling given the tailor made replacements the Old Lady seemingly has at present in both Matthijs de Ligt and Demiral himself.

Former Juventus defender Paolo Montero could also spot the talent the Magpies may be soon inheriting, describing the 24-year-old's days at Juve as a superb learning curve under the infamous Italian partnership of Giorgio Chiellini and Leanardo Bonucci.

“He [De Ligt] played a spectacular game. He is demonstrating his value and he will become a world-class player," he began back in 2019. "Demiral will also have a great future and find his place. They’ve got great defenders to learn from, players like [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Giorgio] Chiellini, and that will help them a lot.”

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