Manchester United have been searching high and wide for a striker to bolster their attack ahead of the new season.
Their pursuit has seen them linked with an array of talent but they are still yet to pull the trigger on any forward.
The Dusan Vlahovic problem
One name that has been on the club’s list for a considerable time is Dusan Vlahovic.
The Serbian international scored 17 goals this year, including two in three matches at the Club World cup.
Vlahovic has caused a stir in Turn as he has rejected a new deal that would have seen his salary considerably decrease.
Consequently, Juventus have been desperate to sell the player and it has even been reported that they may try to tempt United with a swap deal for Jadon Sancho.
Meanwhile, the striker would be keen to stay one more year at the Serie A side and then leave on a free next year, which obviously does not appeal to his current employers.
Recent reports suggested that Vlahovic may be willing to allow the club to cancel his contract but that he and his agents would demand €10 million in compensation.
Price set
Juventus would obviously prefer to sell the player and La Gazzetta dello Sport report that they have set a price of €25-30 million to do business.
The Italian paper claims that talks between Vlahovic’s entourage and Juventus have not been fruitful and “the Old Lady’s number 9 doesn’t seem willing to give up even a cent of what he’s owed, and the intention, shared with his agent, is to stay in Turin for the entire 2025-2026 season. Therefore, allowing his contract to expire naturally and then being free to explore the market for a new home.”
This would be a “dire scenario” for Juve and according to the outlet, they will not terminate his contract. This is owing to the fact that “Dusan is still on the books (as amortization) for around €20 million, which, if he leaves for free, would automatically translate into a write-down of the same amount in the 2024-2025 budget, not next season’s.”
Transfer solution
Instead, “the club is taking a step toward the player by considering a severance package, in the event of a transfer, which would make it easier for the Serbian to reach a financial agreement with his next club.”
General Manager Damien Comolli has therefore set a €25-30 million price tag which would allow them to pay off the player and allow the deal to appear better on the club’s spreadsheets.
The paper warns however that, “negotiating between two seemingly irreconcilable positions is certainly not easy, and the freedom with which the Bianconeri will move in the transfer market depends on Vlahovic.”
It is predicted that the “tug-of-war” may last a few more weeks but speculates that the best thing for Vlahovic may be to move on from a situation where he “is not well-liked.” In addition, during a World Cup year, it is clearly in his interest to get regular first team football.
Therefore, if United continue to struggle to land their top targets, the Vlahovic situation is certainly something they may re-visit towards the end of the season whether on loan or for a knock-down fee.
Featured image Francois Nel via Getty Images
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Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
