Dusan Vlahovic Transfer News & Odds

With the summer transfer window now in full swing, plenty of deals, either involving big money or just downright strange, have already taken place and there will be many more of those to come over the course of the next few months.

The next player who could potentially be swapping clubs this summer that we will be discussing is Juventus’ Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic, a player whom the Old Lady brought in for a huge transfer fee just a year and a half ago. But Vlahovic has not exactly had the greatest spell in Turin so far, with unconvincing performances on the pitch alongside turmoil for Juventus off the pitch meaning that the Serb has begun to be linked with a move away from the club.

The 23-year-old has a contract that runs for another three years, and that means that any club that is interested in signing the former Partizan Belgrade and Fiorentina striker would need to shell out a fee of a similar ilk to the £58m that Juventus initially spent to sign the striker in 2022. Here, we take a look at a few clubs who are in need of a striker this summer, and why Vlahovic might make a move to those clubs.

Despite being linked with a host of Europe’s top clubs, one of the most likely outcomes of this whole transfer saga is that the Serb could end up staying at Juventus instead of moving elsewhere. Vlahovic became the fourth-biggest arrival in the Old Lady’s history when he joined the club in January 2022 for a fee of £58m, and for such a large fee, he has flattered to deceive as of yet.

A poor record of 23 goals in 63 appearances so far indicates that Vlahovic’s signing was not the smartest investment, but considering that the season just gone was only Vlahovic’s first full campaign at the Allianz Stadium, Juventus will likely still feel that there is more to come from him, and with three years still left on his contract, there is more than enough time for the Serb to really show what he can do and that the £58m that was splashed out on him was worth it. And it is still in Juventus’ interest to keep Vlahovic at the club anyway - he was still their top scorer this season, and the only other options to take up the centre-forward mantle at the club currently are Arkadiusz Milik and Moise Kean, neither of whom are good enough to do so for a club like Juventus.

Keeping Vlahovic would mean that the club would not have to splash out on yet another big-money striker to replace him if he left. In addition to this, if Vlahovic were to stay, he would be a huge and central part of Juventus’ rebuild as they look to get back into the Champions League after missing out this season and one again challenge for the Scudetto, which they have not won since 2020.

Bayern Munich have had their worst goalscoring Bundesliga season since 2018/19 this year, with their usual romps to the biggest trophy in German football being replaced this year instead by what could be described as a lethargic jog as Borussia Dortmund challenged and pushed Bayern for the title all the way to the final day, with Die Borussen eventually falling short only on goal difference.

It was a close race and one that almost ended Bayern’s decade-long grip on the German top-flight, and Bayern’s poor performances throughout the season that allowed Dortmund to push them so close are, in part, down to the departure of the mercurial Robert Lewandowski at the end of last season. For years, the Pole had been firing in the goals for Bayern as they strolled to the title every season, but when he left last summer, Bayern had a huge task on their hands to replace his goals.

They brought in Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and youngster Mathys Tel from Rennes, and to their credit, the pair have done relatively well this year having scored 12 and six league goals respectively. But those figures are not good enough to replace Lewandowski’s output, and it has ultimately been a collective effort further including players such as Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to replace what Lewandowski did for the team.

Therefore, FC Hollywood will probably dip into the transfer market this summer for a new top-level striker, and Vlahovic may well be one of their targets. And this is a move that would appeal to the Serb – Bayern as a club are in a much better position than Juventus currently, and Vlahovic would also be guaranteed silverware with a move to Bavaria, while Juventus would receive a large transfer fee for him to invest in any replacement. It is a move that would work out for all parties and with there not being a huge roster of top-level strikers currently on the market, that is why Bayern may choose to go for Vlahovic.

After a miserable 2022/23 season that saw the Blues finish 12th in the Premier League, there is sure to be a huge amount of transfer activity taking place at Stamford Bridge this summer. Yes, despite Chelsea spending around £600m over the previous two transfer windows on players, there is the need for yet more money to be spent on the squad this summer, such was how poor the recruitment process has been as of late in west London.

Chelsea need upgrades in almost all areas of the pitch, and that definitely includes new signings for their frontline. Not a single Blues player hit a double-digit tally of goals this season, with current first-choice striker Kai Havertz and winger Raheem Sterling the club’s joint-top goalscorers this season with just 9 each. There is a myriad of problems affecting the rest of the forwards at Chelsea currently - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is out of favour at Stamford Bridge and could leave this summer while David Datro Fofana is one for the future instead of now, Armando Broja’s place in the team is unclear as he nears a return from a damaging ACL injury and Joao Felix won’t be back after his failed loan spell.

Chelsea have brought in Christopher Nkunku already, but it is unclear so far whether his best position is as an out-and-out or second striker. And now, top scorer Havertz has been heavily linked with a move to London rivals Arsenal in a deal that is widely expected to be completed in just a matter of weeks. Chelsea need a new man up top, and Dusan Vlahovic could be that man. The Blues would be able to pay any transfer fee Juventus ask for, and with the current lack of top-level strikers available on the market, Vlahovic is one of the best options available right now.

Another Premier League club that is also in desperate need of a striker is Manchester United, with the Red Devils having already been linked with many forwards around Europe - Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Tottenham’s Harry Kane have been the players most heavily linked with a move to the club so far, but might United go for Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic instead?

There has reportedly been an acceptance behind the scenes at Old Trafford that Kane and Osimhen are both out of reach for United, meaning that cheaper transfers such as Hojlund and Vlahovic are more likely to happen this summer. United’s main source of goals this season has been the pair of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes because the Red Devils’ options upfront this season were arguably as dire as Chelsea’s – Wout Weghorst and Anthony Martial.

Simply put, Weghorst is not good enough to be playing for Manchester United at all, best shown by his 2 goals in 31 appearances this season, of which none came in the Premier League. Meanwhile, the injury-prone Martial has scored a grand total of 11 league goals over the past three seasons. Among other signings, a top-class striker is desperately needed at Old Trafford this summer to get United back and competing for the biggest trophies, if not to at least ease the goalscoring burden on Rashford and Fernandes.

Like so many other of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer, the next few months should be very busy for Real Madrid with many signings expected to be presented at the Bernabeu over the coming few months. Already, Los Blancos have snapped up exciting midfielder Jude Bellingham, and they almost certainly will not be stopping there. There will also likely be a big-money signing in the striker position, with two centre-forwards in Mariano and Karim Benzema both leaving the club this month.

While Mariano will not be missed, Benzema netted 31 goals in the season just gone and with his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad being confirmed recently, the void left by his departure will need to be filled. Madrid might very well turn to Vlahovic as the Frenchman’s replacement, with Madrid reportedly having misgivings about some of their other targets – Harry Kane, at 30, is viewed as having his best years behind him while also having no future resale value, while Richarlison has had a diabolical season with Tottenham and it is unsure whether a move for Kylian Mbappe will be sanctioned this summer after already outlaying close to €100m on Bellingham.

Already, Los Blancos have bought in striker Joselu, but he has not been brought in to lead the line – rather, he would be a back-up for someone like Vlahovic or Mbappe. If Juventus were to sell, then they would at least want to break even on the Serb, and that would mean that Madrid would have to place a bid in the region of £55m-£65m – their finances would allow this, and at just 23, there is plenty of years for Vlahovic to grow and develop into a top-class striker like Benzema did when he first joined the club.

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