According to a recent report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus director Cristiano Giuntoli was in attendance at the Champions League match between Real Sociedad and PSG, where he reportedly scouted midfielder Mikel Merino. However, it appears that Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners remains the primary target for the Italian club.
Juventus is actively evaluating various options in the central midfield position for the upcoming season. La Gazzetta dello Sport’s printed edition on Wednesday highlights Real Sociedad’s Merino as one of the prospects being considered by the Serie A powerhouse.
As detailed in the publication’s page 14, Giuntoli observed Merino’s performance during the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg encounter against PSG at the Reale Arena on Tuesday night. With Merino’s contract set to expire in June 2025, Juventus sees a potential opportunity should he not renew his contract in the coming months, possibly leading to a decrease in his valuation, which would be advantageous for the Bianconeri.
The report also mentions Giuntoli’s observations of Merino’s teammate Robin Le Normand, a potential addition to bolster the central defense, and former Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz, who is currently with PSG.
Despite these observations, Juventus maintains its primary focus on acquiring Atalanta’s Koopmeiners for the midfield role. While Liverpool reportedly holds interest in the Netherlands international, Koopmeiners is reportedly open to remaining in Serie A for the 2024-25 season.
Koopmeiners is valued at approximately €60m, and Juventus might explore the possibility of including Matias Soulé in a player-plus-cash exchange deal to meet Atalanta’s demands.
Other potential midfield reinforcements for Juventus in the upcoming transfer window include Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Georgiy Sudakov (Shakhtar Donetsk), and Lazar Samardzic (Udinese).