Atalanta defender Merih Demiral wants to wait to join Inter Milan this summer despite there being other offers on the table.

This according to SportItalia transfer market expert Alfredo Pedulla, who reports on his homepage that Demiral’s priority is to see if he can join the Nerazzurri, and that there have been new contacts between Inter and Atalanta today.

Barring any major surprises, Demiral will leave Atalanta this summer.

Last season a rift formed between the Turkish international, who is under contract with La Dea until the end of June 2026, and his coach Gian Piero Gasperini. He is out of the project in Bergamo and Atalanta will look for a new club.

The Nerazzurri had already reportedly been close to signing the Turk during the January transfer window of last season. At the time, they had lined him up as a possible emergency replacement for Milan Skriniar.

Inter were ready to move for Demiral if Paris Saint-Germain had made an acceptable offer to sign Skriniar midseason. In the end, that did not happen and so both Demiral and Skriniar stayed put.

However, that delayed the inevitable.

Merih Demiral Wants Inter Milan

Inter still have to replace Milan Skriniar with the Slovakian having left to head to Paris Saint-Germain. The departure Danilo D’Ambrosio adds further urgency to the Nerazzurri’s casting call for a defensive signing.

A move for Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta fell through, leaving Inter back at square one.

Accordingly, the conditions are there for the Nerazzurri to reignite their pursuit of Demiral.

Pedulla reports that Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah is also on the Nerazzurri’s radar. However, it looks to be the Turk who they are currently focusing on.

The Nerazzurri reportedly spoke with La Dea further today about possibly signing the 25-year-old former Juventus and Sassuolo defender.

The Bergamasque club are not to keen to loan Demiral out, even if it is with a purchase option. They want to sell the player on a permanent basis.

However, for the player’s part, Demiral wants Inter.

He had been ready to join them in January, and still is.

Pedulla reports that Demiral has three offers in front of him, possibly one or two from Turkey. However, the player’s preference is Inter, and he is holding out for them at the moment.