Five years after it failed in a bid to sign Dušan Vlahović from Fiorentina, Atlético de Madrid have made contact to sign the Serbia striker as a free agent — whether Alexander Sørloth stays at the club or not.
Vlahović has been coveted on a free transfer since his contract at Juventus expired last month. Beşiktaş, FC Barcelona, Manchester United and even Juve themselves have been tied to the 26-year-old, who was the top earner in Serie A on a €12 million per year net salary.
Vlahović stands little
hope of earning such a wage package at his next club, and his entourage seems to be aware of that — which creates the conditions for Mateu Alemany to pursue him after a month on the open market.
Matteo Moretto states that Vlahović is “waiting” for Atlético’s offer, and he has “prioritized” joining the Rojiblancos after rejecting them in 2021. Initially, Moretto claimed that Atleti would only attempt the Vlahović signing if Sørloth left the club, but there may be a way to keep both left-footed forwards.
Turkish club Fenerbahçe has reignited its interest in Sørloth; according to journalist Sercan Hamzaoğlu, Fener have been quoted a €40 million fee to sign the Norwegian. But Italian reporter Orazio Accomando has claimed that Atlético are open to a loan with a €35 million obligation to buy.
After he spurned Atleti in August 2021, Vlahović joined Juventus five months later in a €70 million transfer. His time in Turin had ups and downs; his arrival coincided with Juve’s steep decline from the summit of Serie A, and he played under four “permanent” head coaches in four-and-a-half seasons. Vlahović battled injuries and inconsistency throughout his stint at the Old Lady, with whom he won a single Coppa Italia in 2024. Last season, Vlahović scored just seven goals across 19 appearances in Serie A as Juve placed a disappointing sixth.
Vlahović (68 goals over 168 games at Juventus) and Sørloth (44 goals over 107 games at Atlético) are tall, physical, left-footed forwards remarkably-similar returns in front of goal, and keeping both players in the team wouldn’t make much sense. Vlahović‘s development stalled at an unstable Juve, and even signing him on a Bosman carries risk given his injury record. He last scored 20 or more goals in all competitions in 2021/22.
But as we know, Atleti are not spoiled for choice in the center-forward market this summer (Victor Osimhen remains an unrealistic target, I’m sorry). And selling Sørloth for €40 million while signing Vlahović for a total package of, let’s say, €20 million between his salary and signing bonus allows the club to come out ahead.
As a piece of financial engineering, such a swap is understandable. I’m just not sure about the fit.
