La Liga champions Barcelona are reportedly preparing a €50 million offer for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic, who has been in prolific form this season.
Barcelona are eyeing a summer move for Serbian centre-forward Luka Jovic in the summer transfer window and are hoping to initiate negotiations with the 21-year-old’s club Eintracht Frankfurt at the earliest, according to a report from The Guardian.
Jovic came through the youth ranks at Crvena Zvezda in his homeland and went on to make 48 first-team appearances, having made his debut at the age of 16. The Serb then made the switch to Benfica in February 2016, but couldn’t establish himself in the first-team, leading to a two-year loan spell at Eintracht Frankfurt in 2017.
After a decent enough debut campaign in Germany, during which he netted 9 times in 27 matches, Jovic has stepped up his game a notch this season. With 15 goals from 24 Bundesliga outings, the 21-year-old is the joint second-highest goalscorer in the German top-flight, while he has also netted 7 times in 10 UEFA Europa League matches.
This kind of form has prompted Eintracht Frankfurt to reach an agreement with Benfica to convert Jovic’s loan deal into a permanent one at the end of the season.
Jovic’s scintillating performances this season haven’t gone unnoticed, with reigning Spanish champions Barcelona reportedly taking an interest in the Serbian international. The Catalans are in the market for a new centre-forward as they look to put in place a succession plan for star striker Luis Suarez, who has shown signs of age catching up with him this season.
Barcelona did bring in Kevin-Prince Boateng on loan from Sassuolo in the January window, with an option of making it a permanent transfer. However, the Ghanaian hasn’t made much of an impression since his arrival and even if the Blaugrana decide to sign him on permanently, he would only represent a short-term solution.
As a result, a new striker has jumped to the top of Barcelona’s shopping list ahead of the summer transfer window. While recent reports have claimed that Ernesto Valverde’s side are looking to rekindle their interest in Antoine Griezmann, Jovic remains a key target for the Catalan outfit.
Barcelona’s technical secretary Eric Abidal and assistant Ramon Planes watched Jovic in action last week, when he scored the only goal of the game to oust Inter Milan from the UEFA Europa League. Having been impressed with what they saw, Barcelona are planning to make an offer of €50 million to secure his signing in the summer.
However, the report from The Guardian states that Eintracht Frankfurt are aware of the interest that the 21-year-old is generating and would want a transfer fee around the €65-€70 million mark if they are to sanction a sale.
Jovic has taken Europe by storm with his goalscoring prowess and it is only natural that big clubs are taking a note of the Serb. However, it remains to be seen if Barcelona are able to convince Eintracht Frankfurt to part with their star striker in the summer.
