No bids have been tabled from Premier League clubs, despite six months of speculation, for Juve’s goal-hungry Dusan Vlahovic.
Yet the club want to cash on the Serbia striker before his contract expires next year, with Turkish Super Lig outfit Fenerbahce his most likely escape route.
The Bianconeri have been seeking a replacement for Vlahovic since last November, when they inquired about LOSC Lille’s hot-shot Jonathan David following their Champions League clash in France.
David opened the scoring midway through the first-half, with Vlahovic slotting home a penalty on the hour-mark for a share of the spoils inside the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
David deal discussed
At the time Juventus were prepared to offer the US-born forward a five-year contract with an annual salary of €5 million (US$5.7m) once a free agent on 1 July.
Barcelona were their biggest rivals to secure his signature. Since then David’s list of admirers has increased with a plethora of European giants monitoring his availability including Chelsea, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester United, Napoli and Newcastle United.
Although there would be no transfer fee, he will prove to be an expensive pursuit due to financial demands amounting to around €30m (US$34.2m) for agent fees, bonuses and salary.
David's annual wage demands have increased by €1m (US$1.14m) since November, which has resulted in hesitation from numerous clubs. Yet this should not prove an obstacle for Juve if Vlahovic departs, as he earns the highest Serie A annual salary at €12m (US$13.7m).
Chase hots up
This could propel Juventus to lead the race to sign the 25-year-old Canada international, who bagged 16 Ligue 1 goals last term, having recently held initial talks about moving to the Turin titans.
The added attraction of Champions League soccer would help Juve’s cause to land David, although the obvious barriers are Vlahovic and the uncertainty of who will be the Juventus boss next term.
Vlahovic turned down the chance to switch to the Saudi Pro League in January, and has made it known that he prefers to join a Premier League team over Fenerbahce. So he may well remain at Juve for the final season of his contract.
While Igor Tudor’s fate rests in the balance on how the interim manager fares at the cash-rich 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, as the Croatian desperately wants to be appointed permanent head coach.