Juventus and Inter Defensive Target Continues to Shine | OneFootball

Ardian Ismajli has been attached to Juventus following Gleison Bremer’s injury, and Inter are keeping tabs on him too as they might part ways with either Francesco Acerbi or Stefan De Vrij at the end of the season. The center-back isn’t at the top of suitors’ shortlist because of his age, but he’s hitting his stride at 28 years old, Calciomercato points out.

The veteran has been one of the secrets behind Empoli’s early success. The Tuscan side has allowed just five goals so far, on par with Napoli. Only Juventus and Roma have done better.

Ismajli has blanketed high-profile opponents like Artem Dovbyk, Dusan Vlahovic, and Romelu Lukaku in the first eight rounds. His coach Roberto D’Aversa recently talked him up. The Azzurri would like to keep him, but it’ll be challenging since his contract expires next June.

The Albanian defender has won 80 percent of his tackles and over 60 percent of his duels, tallying 78 key interventions, 7 blocks, and 14 interceptions. Moreover, he has committed just four fouls. His side value him €5M. A bidding war potentially might boost his price tag.

Our Take on Ismajli

He’s always been solid, and the main difference with previous seasons, besides his team’s attitude, is that he has avoided muscular injuries that routinely affected him in the past. His short-term deal is unfortunate for Empoli. A January departure is possible if they are in a comfortable position on the standings. It’d be surprising if Inter considered him due to Oaktree’s instructions, while Juventus wouldn’t be wrong in targeting him, as young studs are hard to find and very pricey. He’d at worst a good deputy.