Luka Jovic: Where could his future lie? What went wrong at Real Madrid?

When Real Madrid won the race to sign Luka Jovic in the summer of 2019, it was viewed as a major coup. The Serbian striker had just scored 27 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2018/19 season and was one of the hottest prospects in Europe. But, it just hasn’t worked out for Jovic in the Spanish capital. Two and a half years after his transfer, he has just two goals for Real Madrid. Although he hasn’t played much, he has still racked up more than 1,100 minutes and two goals simply isn’t good enough.

It’s true that Jovic has had some bad luck along the way, regularly striking the woodwork or having goals disallowed for offside in his first season at the Bernabéu. Fans loved his effort, if not his finishing, but now he is being viewed as a failed project. With Kylan Mbappé set to partner Karim Benzema from next season, expectations for Jovic have dropped.

This time last year, Jovic was struggling so much for playing time under Zinedine Zidane that he was loaned back to Eintracht Frankfurt for the second half of 2020/21. Now, with just as little playing time under Carlo Ancelotti, another loan could be on the cards.

Who might sign Jovic on loan in January?

According to Diario AS, no loan offer has been made yet for Jovic. However, the 23-year-old would be open to a move if the right proposal is made this winter.

It appears that Eintracht Frankfurt won’t be making a move for Jovic this year, as they are now well-stocked in the attacking positions. There are no other German sides believed to be interested in him right now, even though it’s in the Bundesliga where he has enjoyed his greatest successes, leaving Real Madrid looking across the continent for a potential landing spot.

As explained in the report published by Diario AS, there are two clubs that have expressed some serious interest at this stage, even if no concrete offers have been made. Those clubs are Inter in Serie A and Arsenal in the Premier League.

Jovic as a backup to Dzeko?

Inter were left to fill the Romelu Lukaku void in the summer and their acquisition of Edin Dzeko has worked out well so far. However, Dzeko will turn 36 during the 2021/22 season and he won’t be able to play every minute.

To have a young centre-forward like Jovic would be attractive for Inter, as he can fill in when needed and give others a rest. For the Serbian, this is surely a better position to be in than to be the backup for Karim Benzema, who is rarely injured and who is undroppable at Real Madrid.

Another loan between Real Madrid and Arsenal?

The other option is Arsenal and this would be just the latest piece of business involving the two clubs, after Dani Ceballos and Martin Ødegaard went on loan to the Emirates, with the latter then completing a permanent transfer.

Seeing Jovic in the Premier League would certainly be interesting and there are some who believe his skillset suits English football more than LaLiga Santander. Arsenal could be an option worth considering, while there might be further Premier League interest by the time the January window arrives.