Newcastle United were desperate to sign Dusan Vlahovic at the start of the year, and he could be on the move again in 2023.
The Serbian striker joined Juventus in January, with the Turin giants paying Fiorentina £66.6million and handing him a four-and-a-half year deal.
It came after Vlahovic burst into life at Fiorentina. In the 2020/21 season, he scored 21 goals in 37 appearances. Then he was even more prolific last season, scoring 17 times in 21 games. It was only the halfway stage of the campaign and he had already nearly matched his previous tally.
That is why he cost Juventus so much money, and it is why so many other clubs wanted to sign him – including Newcastle.
Newcastle wanted to sign Dusan Vlahovic
While the 22-year-old ended up staying in Italy, there were plenty of English sides keen on his signature. Both Arsenal and Tottenham were linked with signing him. And so were newly-rich Newcastle.
The Sun claimed in November 2021 that the Magpies were going to step up their bid to sign the forward, hoping his goals would propel them towards survival. Then the Independent claimed in January that Newcastle were willing to outbid Arsenal for Vlahovic.
However, the report added that he wanted to join a bigger club than Newcastle. Despite PIF’s desperation to bring Vlahovic to St James’ Park, he would join another team wearing black and white.
He has been at Juve for almost a full year now, scoring 16 goals in 36 appearances. He’s averaging a goal almost every other game, but that seemingly isn’t enough for the Italian side.
Fresh chance could be on the horizon for PIF
According to reporter Ben Jacobs, Vlahovic could be on the move again in the near future.
He tweeted on Tuesday that there is a ‘real possibility’ that he could leave Juventus next month.
Jacobs wrote: “Told there is a very real possibility Dusan Vlahovic will leave Juventus in 2023. A January exit is not being ruled out by those close to him. Several top European clubs are in touch with his agent, including Chelsea, although nothing particularly advanced at this point.”
That opens the door for Newcastle to make a fresh move for Vlahovic, and he has recently been linked with the Magpies once again. However, it was a rather farfetched rumour that involved Alexander Isak going the other way.
And while Newcastle were desperate for Vlahovic in January, a new bid would be a real shock, especially given Isak’s presence on Tyneside.
Eddie Howe already has a striker who can lead the line for the club in the coming years, while he can still rely on number nine Callum Wilson as well.
Therefore, it would be a huge shock if Vlahovic swapped the black and white of Juventus for the black and white of Newcastle.
There’s a ‘real possibility’ that he moves clubs next year, but it would be a surprise if it was to Newcastle.
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