Are Juventus targeting the wrong Serie A striker?

It’s evident that Juventus are going to be a part of the Dusan Vlahovic sweepstake next year. Europe’s elite were put on red alert after it was revealed that the forward will not sign a contract extension in Florence.

His current deal runs out in 2023 with Fiorentina keen to maximise the returns on their most prized asset at the next possible opportunity. However, a January move for Vlahovic will be tough for Juventus to pull off considering the multitude of clubs that are supposedly interested. The Bianconeri can ill-afford to be part of a bidding war – not in their current financial state.

To their advantage, Vlahovic is reportedly happy to stay in Italy, but Fiorentina are hoping for an overseas buyer to manifest. They don’t want to negotiate with Juve again.

Either way, funds will have to be raised for Juve to facilitate the arrival of Calcio’s hottest striker property. Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot have been linked with moves away, while it’s been reported that the club will soon make a transfer decision regarding Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede will garner a healthy return despite his struggles in Turin.

What’s Juventus’ current striker situation?

Alvaro Morata’s future at the club is rather foggy with the situation being fairly complicated. Atletico Madrid don’t want him back, but Juventus don’t want to pay his €35m permanent buyout clause either. 

There’s hope that a compromise can be reached, but Juve are still expected to pursue a striker regardless of whether Morata stays or goes. The Old Lady needs a reliable goalscorer.

Vlahovic is exactly that. After enjoying a breakout campaign in 2020/21, scoring 21 Serie A goals in 37 appearances, the young Serbian striker has continued to score in 2021/22. Vlahovic has 12 goals already this season.

However, a new star is beginning to blossom in Italy. It’s a name Juventus are familiar with and a player who should seriously be considered as a potential striker target next summer.

Gianluca Scamacca is beginning to star at Sassuolo

Gianluca Scamacca is finally starting to manifest his mega talent at the highest level. After scoring eight times in Serie A while out on loan with Genoa last season, Scamacca returned to Sassuolo in the summer hoping to lead the way in the post-Roberto De Zerbi/Manuel Locatelli era.

Alessio Dionisi’s Neroverdi are a brilliant watch. Laden with dynamic youngsters such as Davide Frattesi and Giacomo Raspadori, they’re a side capable of beating anyone but, at the same time, succumbing to a banana skin or two.

After claiming a historic victory away at Juventus in late October, Sassuolo then proceeded to lose back-to-back games against Empoli and Udinese. Over the past week, they’ve beaten AC Milan at the San Siro and held the then league-leaders Napoli to a point despite falling 2-0 behind.

As for Scamacca, it took some time for him to join the party, but he was a huge part of the Neroverdi’s giant-killing week.

A slow start to the season kicked into gear for the heavily inked forward with a brace against Genoa in mid-October. Those were his first goals of the season and in his last three outings, he’s scored in each with an array of techniques on display. Against Cagliari, he showed off his coolness in a one-vs-one situation before pulling off a pair of highlight reel-worthy strikes against two of the league’s best.

The finish against AC Milan was of the most satisfying precision, while his thunderous volley to halve the deficit in the eventual Napoli draw was stunning. It’s a goal you very rarely see with the degree of difficulty so incredibly high.

How does Scamacca compare to Vlahovic?

Scamacca’s profile isn’t too dissimilar to Vlahovic’s. Both are physical but mobile target men who function as focal points for their respective possession-oriented sides.

Scamacca is particularly adept technically with his ball-striking second to none. Vlahovic, meanwhile, is a cold-blooded killer. Full stop. He may not have the purists salivating, but he’s always in the right place at the right time. The Fiorentina hitman is a master in the penalty box and is one of the most efficient forwards around. He often requires very few touches to have a huge impact on proceedings.

Over the past year, Vlahovic averages 33.2 touches per 90 minutes. That ranks in the 37th percentile of all forwards from Europe’s top five leagues. He’s an efficient customer and you’ll always back him to convert from the penalty spot.

Overall, there’s no disputing that Vlahovic is the superior forward right now. The Serbian international plays like a seasoned veteran and he’s fully deserving of all his plaudits and the likely interest he’ll garner from Europe’s aristocracy next year.

But, Scamacca’s slowly starting to ingrain himself in the consciousness of Calcio. We knew he always would and it’ll be interesting to see whether Juventus reignite their interest in the physically impressive Italian international. He may not yet boast the ruthless streak of Vlahovic, but their ceilings are arguably similar.

Scamacca’s aerial ability, willingness to press and capacity to execute a variety of techniques will intrigue many. The Italian should be available for less than half the price of Vlahovic next year and in times of financial strife, some may recommend Scammaca as the more astute option in Juve’s striker search.

The Sassuolo striker’s progress is one to keep an eye out for over the next month.