EXCLUSIVE: Man Utd prepare official Vlahovic bid, Chelsea snubbed

Steve Kay

• Updated: 21 May 2023 19:16 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United are preparing an official bid for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, FootballTransfers understands.

United were already interested in the Serbian attacker during the January transfer window but are now set to make another move for this summer.

Manager Erik ten Hag believes that the 23-year-old is a perfect fit for the Premier League given his physical nature.

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United are preparing an offer that could be in the region of €70 million.

Chelsea are also interested in Vlahovic but Vlahovic has made it clear that he wants Champions league football next season.

The Red Devils have made the signing of a top-class number nine one of their main priorities for the summer transfer window.

The two main striker targets until now have been widely reported to be Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

However, FootballTransfers understands that United fear that these two targets will simply cost too much money as both will be well in excess of €100m.

Salzburg wonderkid Benjamin Sesko has also been looked at but will be joining up with Leipzig ahead of next season.

Vlahovic struggles at Juventus

Vlahovic arrived at Juventus as one of the hottest properties in world football in January 2022 for €80 million from Fiorentina.

He had just scored the most goals in Serie A in a calendar year for 60 years and was posting numbers comparable to Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski.

He was wanted by a host of big clubs and rejected an official bid from Arsenal in order to join Juventus.

However, his 18 months at Juventus have not gone to plan.

His goalscoring numbers have plummeted and his entire game has not only stagnated but regressed.

Vlahovic is widely reported to be unhappy with manager Max Allegri’s defensive tactics, while Juventus are now considering whether to sell him.

The Bianconeri have just endured their second trophyless season in a row. It is also increasingly likely they will be out of the Champions League next season due to points penalties set to be inflicted on them next week.

There is also the chance UEFA could ban Juventus from Europe altogether due to their legal troubles.

All of this makes a move to the Premier League and Manchester United very possible this summer.