MILAN (AP) — A few months ago, Juventus asked a client to get rid of Dušan Vlahović. The Italian club are now hoping to link the striker to a long-term contract.
Vlahović scored twice and set up the winning goal as Juventus beat Frosinone 3-2 at Serie A weekend.
That took his tally to 15 this season and 10 in his last nine Serie A games – no other striker in Europe’s most sensible leagues has 2024 in the most productive fashion. The Turin club would like to extend his contract, which expires in 2026.
Juventus were due to sell Vlahović this summer to lighten their wage bill and pave the way for an ambitious offer for Romelu Lukaku after the Chelsea striker made it clear he would not make his loan spell at Inter Milan permanent.
Vlahović fell short of expectations after joining Fiorentina in January 2022, on his 22nd birthday, for a fee of around 80 million euros ($87 million). The Serbian foreigner was in poor form last season as he battled injuries and loss of form in a difficult year for Juventus.
Lukaku signed for Roma and Vlahović stayed in Turin and is spearheading Juve’s resurgence.
“He’s developing as an individual,” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said. “Before, when I played, I was nervous, I played with the anxiety of scoring a goal.
“Now, on the other hand, he’s more balanced, he maintains his speed well and he never gets out of the game and that’s very important. “
Frosinone’s victory ended a four-game winless streak in which Juventus dropped 12 points to Serie A leaders Inter.
However, Juventus sit in second place, 11 points ahead of fifth-placed Atalanta and beyond where they expected to be after their toughest year in recent history.
Juventus were plunged into scandal again last season following investigations into false accounting and abnormal statements about salary payments. This led to the resignation of the entire board and the loss of 10 broadcasts for Juventus. It has been withdrawn through UEFA from European competitions for this campaign. .
The disruptions continued with Paul Pogba testing positive for testosterone at the start of this campaign. The World Cup winner was suspended for four years on Thursday, while compatriot Nicolò Fagioli was suspended for seven months in October for betting violations.
“Our goal is to get back to winning ways, and for that the club has a path and a mission in the future, also aimed at training our own players,” Allegri said.
“For that, qualifying for the Champions League is fundamental, because it’s a party that we haven’t missed since 2011, that can’t be taken for granted either. “
Allegri will be without injured Weston McKennie and Adrien Rabiot for Sunday’s match against champions Napoli, who also have one of Europe’s in-form strikers Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen scored a hat-trick in Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to Sassuolo to take his tally to five goals in three games in seven days since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, where he helped Nigeria triumph in the final.
What’s more, Napoli’s suffering has nevertheless put them in a situation reminiscent of last season, when they won the Serie A title.
Napoli are in their third coach of the season. Francesco Calzona, who hired last week to update the sacked Walter Mazzarri, had so far drawn with Barcelona in the Champions League and Cagliari in Serie A.
Napoli remained in ninth place, but moved up one point due to problems with eighth-placed Lazio and reoccupied the European positions.
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