Barcelona are reportedly set to be beaten to the signature of 21-year-old Fiorentina goal machine Dusan Vlahovic by Serie A giants Juventus.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Juventus are leading the race to sign Dusan Vlahovic in the January transfer window. The 21-year-old Fiorentina goal machine is prepared to join the Serie A giants, who are willing to offer €50 million for him. Such a development has come as a huge blow to Barcelona.
Dusan Vlahovic has become a hot property in the transfer market on the back of a scintillating 2021, having scored goals for fun this year. Part of Fiorentina since July 2018, it was only in the second half of the 2020/21 campaign that he finally exploded into a prolific striker, and he has not looked back since.
The ongoing season has been even stronger for Vlahovic, who has 13 goals and two assists in 15 appearances for Fiorentina. However, the Serie A outfit is resigned to losing the 21-year-old, either in January or next summer, as he has no intention of extending his stay at the club. Such a situation has piqued the interest of Barcelona and Juventus.
The interest from Barcelona is hardly surprising, considering Sergio Aguero is unavailable for the foreseeable future after being diagnosed with a heart condition. With the Argentine international’s future as a footballer highly uncertain, the Catalan giants are in a spot of bother as far as their attacking unit is concerned.
That is because Martin Braithwaite, who is currently on the sidelines, is best used as a backup option, while Luuk de Jong has been deemed surplus to requirements mere months after arriving on loan from Sevilla. The Dutchman even drew the ire of Barcelona legend Luis Suarez Miramontes recently, and it is clear that he has no future at Camp Nou.
So, Barcelona must sign a striker at the earliest, with Vlahovic possibly being a long-term successor for Luis Suarez, with the Blaugrana desperately seeking one in the past year. However, the La Liga heavyweights have been dealt a major blow in pursuit of the 21-year-old goal machine, who is ready to join Juventus.
The Serie A giants are ready to offer €50 million to land Vlahovic in the January transfer window, but it is unclear whether Fiorentina will accept such a bid. The Viola may even prefer selling Vlahovic to a foreign outfit instead of dealing with a Serie A club, which gives Barcelona a window of opportunity to make a move.
What now remains to be seen is if Barcelona can produce an appealing enough offer to tempt Fiorentina and Vlahovic. However, considering Barcelona’s financial woes, a January transfer could be out of the question, leaving Juventus in the lead in the race to sign the 21-year-old.
