Why Vlahovic signing has put Chelsea and Barca on alert for key target

Robin Bairner

• 2 Feb 2022 10:03 GMT
• 3 min read

Dusan Vlahovic’s move from Fiorentina to Juventus during the January transfer window was celebrated as a brilliant piece of business by the Turin giants.

Vlahovic is considered to be one of the game’s most exciting up-and-coming No.9s, with only Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland pushing him into the shade at present.

However, his arrival at Juventus may have a come at a cost greater than the €75 million transfer fee that was paid to Fiorentina for the Serbia international forward.

Vlahovic’s arrival at Juve has shaken up the hierarchy of the club.

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The new addition, of course, is seen as a key building block for Juventus’ future project, but at €7 million per year in wages, he is not especially costly.

Conversely, though, Matthijs de Ligt finds his €12m-per-year salary threatened by the new arrival and the fact that Juventus are clearly in a period during which they are trimming wages. With a contract that expires in 2024, Juve are already looking at ways to extend his deal, but that promises to be a thorny issue.

After all, Juventus cannot offer De Ligt the terms he is presently on. Such figures are no longer sustainable for them. Moreover, their marquee signing, Vlahovic, is barely getting half that figure.

What this means for De Ligt

A storm is brewing with regards De Ligt’s future, Tuttosport reports, and there are clubs already in position to take advantage.

Chelsea are foremost among these sides, with the Premier League club leading Bayern Munich in this regard. The Blues are likely to offer him more favourable terms, while they are likely to be in the hunt for a centre-back in the summer given that Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger are all out of contract.

Barcelona have also been linked with a possible move for De Ligt, but even allowing for their surprise January splurges on Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, affording the Dutchman’s wages and a transfer fee appears unlikely.

Vlahovic’s arrival at Juve, then, may just have triggered an interesting summer battle for De Ligt.