Who buys hundreds of Merkava?

Officials from the Directorate of International Defense Cooperation (SIBAT) of the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced two days ago that they are in "advanced negotiations" with two unnamed countries, one of which is located on the European continent, regarding the first export of Merkava II and III tanks abroad; the IDF has about 500 Merkava IIs and at least 600 Merkava IIIs in stock.

Currently, there is no indication that Merkavas will be going to Ukraine, and considering that the sale is already in "advanced negotiations," it means that these discussions have likely been ongoing for some time, even before the invasion of Ukraine. On the other hand, this would be a significant source of "Western" tanks for Ukraine, which is transitioning from Eastern to Western standards.