In-demand Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic reportedly has his heart set on a move to Juventus amid growing interest from Serie A and abroad. Per Calciomercato, the Serbia international is ready to turn down all other offers to seal a move to the Allianz Stadium at the end of the season.
Vlahovic has been nothing short of outstanding since his breakthrough Serie A campaign back last season. The 21-year-old has taken advantage of Federico Chiesa’s switch to Juventus in summer 2020 to showcase his potential, taking Italy’s top-flight by storm since.
The former Partizan Belgrade youth academy graduate tallied a staggering 21 goals and two assists from 37 appearances during his inaugural Serie A season. He has carried his predatory form into the 2021/22 campaign, as he currently tops the Serie A scoring charts with 16 goals from 20 league outings so far.
Indeed, it’s been one hell of a year for Vlahovic so far. The Fiorentina talisman has equaled Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time Serie A record of 33 goals league goals scored in a single calendar year. His stellar performances at the Stadio Artemio Franchi have naturally attracted plenty of attention from some of Europe’s best clubs.
Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Milan, and Juventus are some of the sides linked with a big-money move for Vlahovic at the end of the season. The player has already rejected all of Fiorentina’s previous attempts to tie him down to a new contract, with his current one set to expire in summer 2023.
Therefore, it’s easy to assume La Viola will be looking to cash in on their prized asset come the summer of 2022. Though they were seeking around €70m to sanction Vlahovic’s departure before the start of the season, the player’s contractual situation is likely to force Fiorentina to drop their requests next summer.
That’s likely to trigger a transfer tug-of-war, considering Vlahovic’s skills are currently in high demand. But it seems the Serb has already made his choice and is ready to link up with Juventus.
The record-time Serie A champions are nowhere near re-establishing domestic dominance since handing over the league title to Inter last season. Massimiliano Allegri’s men are already 12 points off the Serie A title race in fifth, as they brace themselves for another disappointing league campaign.
Desperate to end Inter’s brief reign in Italy’s elite competition, Juventus are ready to invest big in the summer, and signing a new out-and-out striker is top of Allegri’s list of priorities. The Bianconeri have struggled up top this season on the back of Cristiano Ronaldo’s blockbuster return to Man United.
Given Vlahovic’s well-documented scoring prowess in Serie A, he appears as the ideal candidate to resolve Juventus’ ongoing problems in front of goal. Yet, it remains to be seen when they’d be able to outfox other interested parties in a potential bidding war.