Although the pair rarely play together at Juventus, they have both been on the radar of the Turkish titans for some time.
Muani, who arrived on a short-term loan from Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, was expected to be the savior for under-pressure Thiago Motta. He turned down a move to stuttering Tottenham Hotspur to come to Turin.
While Vlahovic has suffered a rollercoaster season. He was banging in the goals until falling out of favor at the turn of the year, before being restored to the starting line-up with a new boss at the helm.
Now the Turkish Supa Lig beckons for both next season, if agreements can be made for Muani to be loaned out by Paris Saint-Germain to Galatasaray and Juventus will accept a cut price offer for Vlahovic from Fenerbahce.
French international Muani made an instant impact to life in Italy, bagging five goals in three Serie A games. Yet his cup displays were dire, his confidence dropped and he suffered a lengthy goal drought until scoring last weekend.
U-turn by Tudor
Muani’s strike against soon-to-be Serie B outfit Monza, from his first start in Igor Tudor’s five matches, will have boosted his confidence. Tudor was surprisingly enthusiastic about the 26-year-old in the post-match press conference, having previously been dismissive.
There had been mutterings in the Italian media last month that Muani would be sent back to his parent club before the end of the Serie A season.
His goal, and the fact that Vlahovic recently suffered a thigh strain as well as Turkish talent Kenan Yildiz being suspended, propelled Muani into Juve’s starting line-up.
Clearly Muani is not part of PSG manager Luis Enrique’s plans, and there remains uncertainty about who will be the Juventus head coach for the next campaign.
Muani price plummeted
Muani’s market value has dropped significantly from the €95 million (US$107.6m) that PSG paid German Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The French giants have Muani valued at €50 million (US$56.6m), although Turkish Supa Lig leaders Galatasaray are only interested in taking the PSG outcast on a season-long loan.
Napoli’s exiled goal-machine Victor Osimhen, who recently turned down interest from Juventus, will leave Galatasaray when his loan expires in June. He is firmly on the radar of Premier League trio Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Yet Osimhen could be back at Napoli, although not if manager Antonio Conte remains. The former Juve head coach is discontented at Napoli, so expected to move to another Serie A during the summer. AC Milan and Juventus are among his admirers.
Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk needs to fill the massive void with Osimhen leaving. Muani is a serious possibility to fill his boots next term on loan.
Financial muscle needed
PSG’s price tag for Muani seems steep, and if they want to cash in then Juventus seems a most unlikely destination. Juve’s qualification for the Champions League remains in the balance.
Without competing in the highly lucrative tournament, the Bianconeri will lack the financial clout to purchase Muani or any of the other attacking targets that sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has singled out.
Giuntoli’s ambitious striker wishlist includes Barcelona’s Ansu Fati, Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, Manchester United’s Antony and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
Although Muani appears to be ending his Juve journey, he could be back in Serie A next term as AC Milan, Napoli and Torino are keeping tabs on his availability. There also remains Premier League interest from Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Spurs.
It makes more sense for PSG to loan Muani out to potentially increase his value, with Galatasaray ideal to reignite his career and compete in next term’s Champions League soccer.
High salary obstacle
Fenerbahce, one of Galatasaray’s bitter rivals in Istanbul, have been attempting to lure Vlahovic to the Turkish top tier since January. The sticking point has always been his high annual salary demands, which some Turkish media has declared is as high as a whopping €20m (US$22.65m).
Vlahovic, one of Tudor’s favorite players at Juve, has failed to find the back of the net in four appearances for the interim head coach. Although he remains the club’s top scorer this term, the lack of service has meant his goals have dried up.
With his contract due to expire in June 2026, and talks with the club stalling as the Serbia striker refuses to take a pay cut from €12m (US$13.6m), a summer sale would suit Juventus. Otherwise the club will get nothing when he becomes a free agent.
When the 25-year-old fell down the pecking order under Motta at the start of the year, he was put on the transfer list. Fenerbahce showed serious interest, as did an unnamed Saudi Pro League club.
Vlahovic turned down these approaches. He became the subject of relentless rumors about a switch to the Premier League, and was subjected to reluctantly warming the bench as Muani was preferred by Motta.
After Project Motta crashed and burned, the former Bologna boss was replaced by Tudor as a stop gap solution. Vlahovic was back in business as got minutes under his belt.
Vlahovic transfer revived
The Premier League interest was reignited, which included Aston Villa and Newcastle United — teams that Juve had recent transfer dealings with.
Fenerbahce has also come back in for Vlahovic, and the club tends to make savvy signings. Fenerbahce aims to finance the potential transfer by selling Morocco hot-shot Youssef En-Nesyri for €30m (US$34m) and offering Juve €40m (US$45.3m) for Vlahovic.
Serial-winning head coach Jose Mourninho, who frequently gets the best out of his squad, has one more season on his contract with Fenerbahce.
He could try to coax Vlahovic with the promise of having a shot at lifting a league title, as well as providing Champions League soccer next season. Those are two aspects that are not guaranteed should Vlahovic remain at Juve.