Juventus have reportedly offered former Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic to Manchester United, with the striker open to a new challenge.
The Daily Mail are claiming that Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign former Bayern Munich forward Mario Mandzukic by Juventus during negotiations between the club in relation to the transfer of Matteo Darmian, who looks to be closing in on a return to Italy.
Mario Mandzukic arrived at Juventus in the summer of 2015 after a 20-goal campaign in what was his only season in La Liga as he joined Atletico Madrid from Bayern Munich in 2014 before leaving for Italy. At Juventus, the striker has revelled in a bit-part role, excelling in acting as the support to the main architects of the club’s attack – Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala.
While he has not been able to rack up the numbers in front of goal, his form in the 2017-18 Champions League was a joy to behold, with the forward scoring 4 goals in just 6 games for Juventus, including a brace in the return leg against Real Madrid in the Round of 16 knockout phase where Juventus almost completed a sensational comeback only to bow out of the competition by a marginal scoreline of 4-3, despite coming into the game with a 3-0 deficit from the first leg.
Mandzukic is now 32 and while he does have two more years left on his Juventus deal, the Croatian international is looking for a new challenge, which could ideally be his last one at a top club, considering his age.
Juventus chief executive Giuseppe Marotta explained the Mario Mandzukic situation, admitting that the player has indeed communicated his desire to seek a change of clubs.
“Mandzukic? When a player asks to go away we always try to satisfy him, just as the stimuli may have disappeared. We do not have to take any position at the moment, so Mandzukic is still Juventus,” Marotta told Sky Italia.
At Manchester United, Jose Mourinho has Romelu Lukaku as the only recognised option upfront, especially with Marcus Rashford being used out wide by the manager. Thus, adding an experienced head like Mandzukic upfront could yield benefits a-la Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s brief association with United.
Mandzukic will get the chance to experience a new league and a chance to add the Premier League title to his trophy haul. What will be interesting to see is Manchester United and their willingness to gamble on a 32-year-old. United fans too, will not like the addition of a 32-year-old striker, with their golden boy Marcus Rashford already struggling for game time.