Juventus: The logic behind picking Luis Suarez over Edin Dzeko

Juventus are in the market for a new striker, and Luis Suarez and Edin Dzeko look like the two main transfer targets.

Luis Suarez‘s availability to Juventus isn’t 100 percent clear. The club has reportedly agreed to personal terms with the Uruguayan striker, but will they be able to close a deal with Barcelona? And will Suarez end up being a free transfer?

These seemingly positive negotiations between Juve and Suarez have made the club’s previous preferred striker target, Edin Dzeko, an afterthought. Gianluca Di Marzio recently reported that Juventus have been working harder to sign Suarez than Dzeko, as talks with Dzeko have to cool since Roma’s replacement for Dzeko, Arkadiusz Milik, would need to be acquired first in a swap deal with Napoli.

Milik, of course, was a transfer target of Juve’s before they abruptly pivoted to the older Dzeko. And now that Suarez is available, he has become the focus for the Bianconeri. But his transfer hinges on if he’s able to get his release from Barcelona, which could get messy.

All Juve can control is who they prioritize, and going after Suarez over Dzeko makes sense. Dzeko is a great striker in his own right. The 34-year-old scored 16 goals with seven assists for Roma last season as a workhorse, and he’s one of the best No. 9’s in the world at being a target man and helping those around him.

Luis Suarez is a high-upside option for Juventus

But Suarez could also benefit Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala. Statistically speaking, Suarez had as many goals and one more assist than Dzeko last season in La Liga, even though he played nearly 1,000 fewer minutes than Dzeko.

I still think Dzeko had a better 2019-2020 season, but the key difference between Dzeko and Suarez is upside. Suarez can potentially join Juventus for free. And so Juve could sign one of the best strikers in the world for free. His backheel goal last season shows that the genius, the quality are still there. A change of scenery in Turin, in Serie A, with Ronaldo and Dybala, could do Suarez wonders.

Dzeko is the safer option, but comparing the transfer fees, Suarez is worth going for. With Suarez, the Bianconeri could have a striker who can help the club win the Champions League in the immediate future. That’s their main goal. Suarez has the ability to score buckets of goals and take pressure off the other forwards, and he can bring individual skill that Dzeko cannot.