Sunderland in the picture for Tarik Muharemovic, Juventus moving away from move | OneFootball

As reported by Alfredo Pedullà, Juventus are unwilling to change their stance on defender Tarik Muharemović, who looks ever more likely to move to England, with Sunderland in the picture to sign him.

The yound Bosnian centre-back has just concluded a historic World Cup campaign with his national team, with the Zmajevi having registered their best-ever finish at the World Cup finals by reaching the round of 32 of the ongoing editon, where they lost of co-hosts USA. This has arrived on the back of another impressive showing with Sassuolo, who managed a comfortable mid-table finish in Serie A last season in their first year back in the top flight.

Giovanni Carnevali, former CEO of Sassuolo before his resignation last month, had traveled to London towards the end of last season hoping to push for a Premier League move for the 23-year-old, and while he has since moved to Juventus, who have been interested in bringing back their former Next Gen player, they seem unlikely to bid more than €15 million for him, while Sassuolo’s valuation has gone up to €40 million, up from €30 million before the World Cup began.

A move to the English top flight looks ever more likely for Muharemović, whose €740,000 Sassuolo contract runs until June 2031. Tottenham Hotspur were linked with him but have made an array of big-money signings in recent weeks, including a £52m move for defender Jan Paul van Hecke.

Sunderland and Bournemouth are also interested in him, as per Luca Cilli. The two Premier League sides will play in Europe next season and could soon make a formal offer.

Muharemović could be quite the coup for Sunderland

€40 million may be too high a price for Juventus, but it certainly is feasible for any Premier League side at the moment, especially one looking to make a statements in the transfer market after shattering all expectations.

When they returned to the Premier League after eight years, a period in which they also languished in the third tier for a while, few expected Sunderland to stay up and put up a fight at a time when newly promoted sides were going straight back down.

But not only did the Black Cats put up a fight, they also brought bad luck upon many a established top-flight outfit, causing a fair few upsets to not only survive comfortably, but qualify for the Europa League.

Régis Le Bris and Co will be keen on showing everyone that last season was no fluke, and as they prepare for another major campaign, with Europe beckoning this time, they’ll want a bigger, stronger squad. And if last season is anything to go by, there are few landing Premier League spots that seem more promising for Muharemović than the Stadium of Light. Here, not only will he get exposure to arguably the most competitive league in the world, he will also get to showcase his skills in Europe, in an environment where players seem to be thriving.

Bournemouth, in comparison, have been doing wonders in their own right and will also be in Europe, but after Andoni Iraola’s departure and under Marco Rose, they’ll be an unknown quantity, and the Premier League can be quite the baptism of fire for any player, making Sunderland a better option in comparison.

Anshuman Joshi | GIFN