Barcelona add Juventus forward to Lewandowski replacement shortlist

Barcelona are on the hunt for a new number nine who can eventually take over Robert Lewandowski, be that sooner or later, and have been linked with a number of names in that regard. The latest is Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic.

The Serbian striker has been tipped for the top since he was in his early teens, and was already on Barcelona’s radar when he broke through at Fiorentina. However Juventus surprised the world by forking out over €80m for Vlahovic as the next big number nine in European football. Since, he has had a mixed time of it at the Bianconeri, scoring goals but without turning into the star that many had expected. So far this season he has 12 goals in 24 appearances, and during his time at Juventus on the whole, 53 strikes in 125 appearances over the past three years.

According to Sport, Barcelona are looking at Vlahovic as a potential recruit down the line. They say the Serbian striker is a potential target for the summer, and is being evaluated by Barcelona. Other targets like Erling Haaland and Viktor Gyokeres are now seen as impossible for the Catalan giants due to the finances involved in the deal.

With Vlahovic, his contract is up in 2026, which could work in Barcelona’s favour if no new deal is agreed before the summer. Arsenal have also shown interest, but the Blaugrana know that Juventus will try to sell him this year rather than risk his departure on a free in 2026. It is also noted that Xavi Hernandez was a big fan of Vlahovic, but Hansi Flick’s opinion on him is not known.

Chelsea are another side that have been linked with Vlahovic in recent weeks, and no doubt his agent will be sizing up potential destinations in case it comes to that. Atletico Madrid have pursued Vlahovic in the past too, as were Real Madrid, although those links have since been denied.