It’s one of Serie A’s worst kept secrets that free agent Jonathan David is on the brink of signing for Juventus.
He has a medical scheduled for Friday, as the Bianconeri prepare to land the Canada international on a free transfer.
David had been monitored by a clutch of Premier League clubs in recent weeks, ready to pounce after his contract with French outfit LOSC Lille expired at the end of June.
Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham United expressed interest. Yet, like Southampton five years ago, the Premier League clubs prevaricated so much that they missed out on landing the Brooklyn-born marksman.
Serie A giants Juventus and Napoli didn’t hold back like their English counterparts, and both teams tabled an offer.
David was on international duty in the United States, competing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, so delayed a decision about his next destination. Juventus gave him a deadline of mid-July for a definite answer.
David has faith in Juventus
He surprisingly speeded up the decision process once Canada were knocked out of the Gold Cup, with the Turin titans David’s preferred choice as he views them as genuine Scudetto contenders.
Sudden interest from Saudi Pro League’s Al-Qadsiah FC, who offered to double David’s salary at Juve, was promptly turned down as the 25-year-old wants to play Champions League soccer.
Having scored over a hundred goals in his 232 appearances spanning five years with Lille, the hot-shot brings not only clinical finishing but also intelligent movement on par with Juve’s Kenan Yildiz.
A formal announcement from Juventus is expected shortly after Friday's medical, and leaves Vlahovic in a quandary if David becomes a marquee signing. The Canadian would become the first deal under the leadership of head coach Igor Tudor.
Clear the air talks for Comolli
Damien Comolli, Juve’s recently appointed general manager, now faces the challenge of negotiating with Vlahovic's agent Darko Ristic as the player has turned down moves as well as discussing a contract extension at a reduced salary.
Vlahovic has just entered the last season of his highly lucrative deal, worth €12 million (US14.1m) that makes him the highest-paid Serie A player.
Decent financial offers from Al-Alhi FC and Fenerbahce were rejected because the Serbia international didn’t consider the league action would help his chances of being selected for next year’s FIFA World Cup finals.
Vlahovic's a wanted man
A reunion with former Juventus boss Max Allegri at AC Milan is a possibility, but his annual wages would be €7m (US8.2m). Brazilian club Flamengo has shown serious interest, while there’s still the possibility of a swap deal with Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho.
Vlahovic appears to have fallen out of favor with Tudor, which could be because of refusal to move clubs or it could be to do with the fact that he was constantly scolding Yildiz during the hefty Manchester City defeat at the Club World Cup.
Regardless of the reasons, a change of guard is on the cards with David joining as long as he passes his medical and Vlahovic either happy to see out his contract or seek an escape route.
There should be no problem with his medical as David has only ever been sidelined by a torn lateral ankle ligament issue four years ago (10 days) and hand injury in 2023 (five days).