Newcastle United have made an offer for Juventus centre-back Merih Demiral, according to journalist Osman Cengiz.

The lowdown

The 24-year-old spent the 2021/22 season on loan with Atalanta, who negotiated a purchase option as part of the agreement. According to Fabrizio Romano, they can sign him outright for €28m (just under £24m), but this report suggests that they aren't entirely convinced that he's worth the fee.

Newcastle have separately agreed a £30m deal for Lille's Sven Botman, so they may be looking at Demiral as a potential partner for the Dutchman.

The latest

Cengiz shared the news about Demiral via Twitter late on Sunday night.

He wrote that 'Newcastle United have applied' for the signing of the Turkey international, with an offer of €25m (£21.4m) believed to have been submitted.

The verdict

What attributes could Demiral offer Newcastle?

According to WhoScored, he excels in aerial duels (winning three per match in Serie A last season) and at ball interception (2.1 per league game), pointing to an ability to read the game effectively. Sports journalist Josh Bunting has waxed lyrical about him, dubbing the 24-year-old 'superb' earlier this year.

He is also a player who chases lost causes, based on one moment from Turkey's match against Luxembourg at the weekend. Demiral raced to retrieve the ball and wound up effectively slide-tackling the corner flag with two feet, which Serie A journalist Conor Clancy called 'very on brand'.

Could he be a future cult hero at St James' Park? Don't rule it out.

In other news, this man is on the verge of leaving St James' Park