Why Juventus may sell €80m Dusan Vlahovic to Man Utd

Carlo Garganese

• 7 Mar 2023 08:20 GMT
• 4 min read

Both Manchester United and Bayern Munich are monitoring Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic ahead of the summer transfer window, according to transfer journalist Nicolo Schira.

Both clubs are looking to sign a top number nine at the end of the season. Man Utd currently only have Wout Weghorst as a stop-gap option, while Bayern’s striker is veteran Erik Choupo-Moting, whose deal expires in June.

And while Vlahovic only joined Juventus just over a year ago for €80 million from Fiorentina in the January 2022 transfer window, FootballTransfers understands that the Bianconeri may be willing to let the Serbian leave already.

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Vlahovic arrived in Turin as one of the hottest properties in world football. He had just scored the most goals in Serie A in a calendar year for 60 years and was posting numbers comparable to Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.

He was wanted by a host of big clubs and rejected an official bid from Arsenal in order to join Juventus.

However, his year at Juventus has not gone to plan. Both player and club have been beset by numerous problems.

Juventus have been immersed in an institutional crisis, with the entire board resigning before Christmas amidst five separate legal investigations into the club from authorities. One of these has seen Juve docked 15 points for allegedly inflating transfer fees, although they are appealing the case.

As a result, Juventus almost certainly won’t be in the Champions League next season unless they win the Europa League.

Vlahovic struggled at Juventus

As for Vlahovic, his goalscoring numbers have dropped considerably. He has still managed 19 goals in 45 appearances, but he looks far from the player he was at Fiorentina.

Indeed not only has the 23-year-old stagnated so far at Juve, he has regressed. His first touch has been heavy, his movement static and his hold-up play not up to par.

Undoubtedly, much of the blame lays at the feet of much-maligned coach Max Allegri. The Italian’s ultra defensive style of play, which sees Vlahovic horribly isolated in a 3-5-1-1 formation, has not been conducive to developing Vlahovic’s game.

Allegri has a history of failing to develop young players, particularly attacking and creative ones. Federico Chiesa and Manuel Locatelli have also disappointed since Allegri returned in the summer of 2021.

Vlahovic is in poor form, with no goals in his last four games. He has scored in only two of his last nine matches and four of his last 14.

He looks entirely unhappy on the pitch playing in a team that relies solely on crosses and set-pieces to create chances.

Were Allegri to be confirmed next season, Vlahovic will certainly be asking the question whether it is good for his career to stay.

And Juventus themselves will be wondering whether they should cash in on Vlahovic while there is still plenty of interest around Europe.

The next few months could be decisive in deciding Vlahovic’s future. If Juventus were to win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League, with Vlahovic returning to something close to his Fiorentina form, that could make a stay likelier.

What is for certain is that until now, Vlahovic has not been the top-class striker they expected when they made him the most expensive January signing in Serie A history.