Next season in Serie A, many things are set to change, starting with the forwards at Juventus, Roma, Napoli, Atalanta, and beyond.
Vlahovic on a free?
The most striking case is Dusan Vlahovic. The Bianconeri signed him a while ago for over €80 million, and now they’re reportedly considering letting him go… for nothing! Juventus’ board is ready to offer the striker a contract termination. Why? Well, there are quite a few reasons.
Dusan failed to live up to expectations: he’s scored 58 goals (with 14 assists) in 145 appearances, struggled to fit into the tactical plans of various Juventus managers, and has been dealing with persistent groin pain, which has certainly made things harder.
What he needed was consistency and continuity, but recurring injuries and stop-and-go spells made that impossible. Now that the Bianconeri have brought in Jonathan David and are still looking for another striker, Vlahovic faces a choice: accept the club’s offer so he can move elsewhere and try to rediscover his form and continuity. Meanwhile, Juventus are also trying to hold on to Randal Kolo Muani, although PSG seem unlikely to soften their stance.
Retegui's Saudi choice
Another name shaking up the transfer market is Mateo Retegui. Last season’s Pichichi of Serie A is close to joining Al-Qadsiah, who have offered Atalanta €67 million and more than €20 million per season to the player himself. It’s hard to blame anyone for accepting an offer like that.
So Ivan Juric’s Atalanta will be in the market for a new striker, and Udinese’s Lorenzo Lucca looks like the ideal candidate, although Napoli have him on their shortlist as well. Retegui scored 25 league goals last season, six more than Moise Kean, who was second in the top scorer charts (strictly counting Serie A, not international competitions). So the league’s best striker, and Italy’s number 9, is set to leave. What’s happening in Serie A?
Elephants graveyard
The only club seemingly content with its attacking options is Inter. They’ve just signed Ange-Yoan Bonny and have no intention of entertaining offers for Lautaro Martínez, their captain, or Marcus Thuram.
Fiorentina have brought back Edin Džeko from Turkey, even though he’s at the twilight of his career. Similarly, Bologna have decided to bring Ciro Immobile back to Italy. Two great strikers from the recent past, both near retirement, yet Fiorentina and Bologna feel they could still add value. Is Serie A moving forward or backward?
It’s an interesting debate. Once upon a time, Italians used to say Turkish football was the “elephants’ graveyard,” but now it feels like the opposite is happening.
Napoli and Roma are also busy in the market and both seem poised to refresh their attacking lines. The Italian champions are selling Victor Osimhen to Galatasaray, which will give them the funds to move for Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) or Lorenzo Lucca, while also keeping an eye on Ademola Lookman.
Antonio Conte wants to win another Scudetto, and club president Aurelio De Laurentiis is working to give him the tools to do it. Money won’t be an issue, but Napoli still need to make the right offer to Liverpool or Udinese. And let’s not forget that Conte already has Romelu Lukaku, they’re working on an exciting duo. Let’s see what happens.
Hojlund reunion
As for Roma, the Giallorossi seem to be looking for an alternative to Artem Dovbyk, and they’re also close to selling Eldor Shomurodov to Istanbul Basaksehir after a decent end to last season. The hottest name linked with them is Evan Ferguson: once tipped to become one of the best number 9s of his generation, but injuries and other setbacks slowed him down.
Now he’s looking for a fresh start, and both Roma and Atalanta are interested. Gian Piero Gasperini might also consider bringing back Rasmus Højlund, who has struggled at Manchester United but shone during his time in Bergamo. Dovbyk did score several goals last year, but his performances didn’t convince all Roma fans.
Selling him without a financial loss might prove tricky, so Gasperini plans to evaluate him closely during pre-season. After all, he has always managed to get his strikers scoring freely, now it could be Artem’s turn.
In any case, the great waltz of the strikers has only just begun.