Vlahovic’s Expiring Deal and Sorloth Links Put Juventus in a Double Bind | OneFootball

Barcelona have re-emerged as suitors for Dusan Vlahovic with his Juventus contract expiring within days, according to Mundo Deportivo, via TuttoMercatoWeb – a development that strikes at the heart of new CEO Giovanni Carnevali‘s summer planning on two fronts simultaneously.

Vlahovic, who will turn 26 as his deal lapses, was signed from Fiorentina for close to €80 million and Juventus losing him on a free transfer would represent a significant strategic failure. Carnevali is reported to be pushing hard for a renewal, but Tuttosport has previously indicated that Juve set an internal deadline of 30 June to receive a response from Vlahovic and his father-agent – and that deadline has now passed without an answer. Romano’s reporting on the state of those renewal talks underlines how precarious the situation has become.

Vlahovic’s Demands and the Competition

Sporting director Deco has made Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez Barcelona’s clear priority, but with no agreement reached for the Argentine, Vlahovic has surfaced as an economical Plan B given his free-agent status. Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid themselves – should Alvarez depart the Metropolitano – are also monitoring the Serbian, while earlier reports have pointed to Premier League interest from the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle.

The financial sticking point is Vlahovic’s reported demand of €8 million net per season plus a €15 million signing bonus, figures that would strain Barcelona’s wage structure even with no transfer fee involved. Some Italian outlets have quoted his demands as high as €10 million net, which would make him one of the Catalans’ top earners.

The Sorloth Complication

The second layer of the problem is Alexander Sorloth. Barcelona are tracking the Atletico Madrid striker as a post-Lewandowski option, and Juventus have been working on their own striker contingency plans with Sorloth identified as a leading candidate to fill Vlahovic’s role. Sky Italia reports that Juve are already in talks with Atletico over a deal, meaning Barça’s interest threatens to derail both of Carnevali’s key summer objectives at once.

Any movement on Alvarez – whether he stays at Atletico or moves on – will shape whether Barcelona push harder for Vlahovic or pivot fully to Sorloth, leaving Juventus reacting to external variables rather than controlling their own window.