It’s been a very long time coming. Atalanta introduced the sale of Turkish defender Merih Demiral to free-spending Saudi Professional League outfit Al-Ahli on Saturday. It was all the time a matter of time earlier than the deal turned official, and now it’s.
Solely a 12 months after paying Juventus €20 million to amass Demiral’s outright switch following his spectacular preliminary mortgage in Bergamo, Atalanta wave goodbye to the 25-year-old. Gian Piero Gasperini’s males are well-compensated for letting the ex-Sassuolo man be a part of an ever-growing contingent of European stars transferring to Saudi Arabia.
Flush with money, Al-Ahli barely had a second thought when quoted €20m plus add-ons for Demiral. The Turkey worldwide’s charge has barely scratched the Saudis’ funds following the arrivals of Franck Kessie, Roger Ibanez, Allan Saint-Maximin, Edouard Mendy, Riyad Mahrez, and Roberto Firmino.
However they’ll at the very least assist Atalanta offset a few of their large summer season spending. Charles De Ketelaere, El Bilal Toure, Mitchell Bakker, Sead Kolasinac, and Gianluca Scamacca have touched down in Bergamo these previous couple of months. Gasperini’s new-look squad will open the 2023/24 Serie A season on Sunday.
Atalanta head to Sassuolo tomorrow night with out Toure, who might be dealing with a prolonged spell on the sidelines. The prodigious ahead left Almeria to embark on an journey on the Gewiss Stadium for a club-record €30m charge to switch Rasmus Hojlund.
Nonetheless, Atalanta followers should wait some time longer to see the 21-year-old in motion. Toure has suffered a extreme tendon damage and might be out for a couple of months.
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