Juventus and Medhi Benatia finalizing details for a summer transfer

Juventus are still negotiating for Medhi Benatia. Their interest in the Moroccan centerback has been almost incessant for the past three months and every couple weeks the deal seems to get a bit more firmed up on both sides.

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rumenigge and Juventus chairman Beppe Marotta met in the the last few days to discuss the transfer of Benatia, reports Gazzetta. Bayern are holding off on the move, seeking an €18M transfer fee in an effort to secure a profit on Benatia’s sale. Reportedly, Juventus prefer the loan with a purchase option route and they may get their way as Benatia has made the decision to leave and is willing to take a pay cut — from €4.2M at Bayern down to €3M — specifically to join Juventus.

For Bayern’s part, it’s not hard to see why they would be loath to take a loss on Benatia. They’ve already spent in excess of €60M this summer in the transfer window and eating another €5-10M on a Benatia transfer would probably just sit poorly. Benatia’s initial €28M transfer fee — and 5-year contract — still has €16.8M in sunk cost on the books, so expect any transfer to be above that amount.