Juventus chief claims Manchester United wanted Merih Demiral

Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici has claimed that Manchester United wanted to sign Turkish defender Merih Demiral before the English transfer window slammed shut.

Demiral only joined Juve from Sassuolo during the summer after impressing on loan at I Neroverdi in the second half of the 2018-19 season.

However, Paratici has said that United, in addition to AC Milan, were interested in a swoop for the 21-year-old.

"He is our player who has had the most deals on the market, I don't imagine how many. The Turk was requested by Milan but was also approached by Manchester United," Paratici told Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Red Devils were also linked with Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala in the latter stages of the English transfer window but were unable to complete a deal for either player.

All three of United's summer signings - Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire - made their debuts for the club in the 4-0 win over Chelsea last weekend.