Borussia Dortmund join Everton in race for €35m rated defender

NANJING, CHINA - JULY 24: Merih Demiral of Juventus and Joao Mario of FC Internazionale in aaction during the International Champions Cup match between Juventus and FC Internazionale at the Nanjing Olympic Center Stadium on July 24, 2019 in Nanjing, China. (Photo by Yifan Ding/Getty Images)

Borussia Dortmund have joined the race for Juventus defender Merih Demiral according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Per the source, Dortmund are preparing a bid for the Turkey international.

Juventus reportedly want ‘around’ €35m for the centre-back and Atalanta are also interested if Romero leaves.

READ: The Story Behind Merih Demiral Picking The No 28 Juventus Shirt Revealed

Everton have also been closely linked with Demiral over the summer transfer window and while they would be favourites to land the defender over the likes of Atalanta, Dortmund could prove more tricky competition.

Just last week Goal reported that Everton are interested in Demiral but that Juve want €40m for the young defender.

The highly rated 23-year-old faces stiff competition for playing time with the likes of Leonardo Bonucci, Chiellini and Matthijs de Ligt ahead of him in the pecking order.

Demiral wants to play regular football and join a club in a top league who will give him that opportunity.

According to the Goal report it appears that Juve are open to letting Demiral leave for the right price but the final decision will down to head coach Massimiliano Allegri and whether he has plans for the centre-back next term.