In case Luis Suarez decides to stay with Barcelona or sign elsewhere, who would be next on the list for Juventus?
After finally terminating Gonzalo Higuain’s contract, Juventus are ready to make a swoop for a new striker who can function as an out-and-out No. 9 to support Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo in a front three that the Bianconeri hope will go down as one of Europe’s best.
Ronaldo and Dybala combined for 42 goals and 11 assists last season, but the support beyond them was lacking. Higuain was third on the team with eight goals, but he was inconsistent and didn’t offer enough link-up play either. At 32 and with a lot of mileage accrued on his legs, Higuain could no longer compete at the Serie A level for a club of Juve’s stature.
So now Juventus are looking for a new solution, and they have focused on Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, who is disgruntled with the club. Lionel Messi is staying, after all, and that may change Suarez’s fortunes. The player is said to be “furious” with his situation at Camp Nou, but it could be difficult for the Uruguayan to get official walking players from the stingy club.
Juve have been linked as Suarez’s main suitor, but they aren’t the only club interested. Atletico Madrid have been mentioned as an option, though that seems highly unlikely at this point.
Edin Dzeko might be Juventus’ top alternative
If Suarez cannot be purchased by the Bianconeri, then the club must pivot to another option. They have a few possibilities, even excluding Raul Jimenez, Alexandre Lacazette, Arkadiusz Milik, and Duvan Zapata. All of them are interesting options, but they aren’t viable transfers for a number of reasons.
Let us refer to Milik for a second. He, Napoli, and Roma are in talks for a deal that would send the Polish striker to Italy’s capital as Edin Dzeko’s replacement. Milik is seven years younger than Dzeko and could be the face of the future for Roma’s attack.
That transfer would open up Dzeko to Juventus. Although the Juventini are concerned about Dzeko’s age, the club does want to win now. And even though Dzeko is two years older than Higuain, he’s still effective at his age. He scored 16 goals with seven assists in the 2019-2020 Serie A campaign as one of Europe’s most well-rounded strikers. Dzeko could be a good stylistic fit for Juve, but his lack of long-term upside makes him an uninspiring option.
A reunion with Alvaro Morata is a possibility. Morata is in his prime at 27, but he’s never been a top striker. Yet Atletico seemingly want him to command the transfer fee of a top striker, as his price could exceed 50 million euros. That is money wasted for Juventus, who should only burn cash on game-changing midfielder Houssem Aouar.
Moise Kean is one more reunion option to consider. It’s possible for Juventus to acquire him on loan from Everton, and maybe they could even get him on a permanent deal. Kean was an effective backup for the Bianconeri before Everton wanted a permanent move, but he didn’t settle in the Premier League last season for a struggling side. In Turin, Kean wouldn’t be a regular starter immediately, but he could force the issue.
A final alternative to Suarez would be Edinson Cavani, as he has a well-rounded skill-set that could help out Juve. He could be a better option than Dzeko, but the Juventini would probably prefer Morata or Kean due to their potential to contribute for more years. Cavani is a stop-gap option and not a true solution.