Both Barcelona and Real Madrid say no to the same £66 million player offered to them for free
Reports say that both Barcelona and Real Madrid have turned down the same player, who was offered to them on a free transfer. The two big La Liga clubs are looking to strengthen their teams and have been competing to sign Atletico Madrid and Argentina star Julian Alvarez. Real Madrid reportedly made a club-record offer of £130 million for Alvarez, but Atletico dismissed it, saying they are “not considering or evaluating any offers for Julian.”
Recently, there are new reports saying that Barca, Real, and Atletico were all offered a different striker, but all three clubs declined. Dusan Vlahovic is available this summer for free after leaving Juventus. He scored 68 goals in 168 games there but couldn’t agree on a new contract, so his deal expired.
According to Matteo Moretto, who works with Fabrizio Romano, none of the three Spanish clubs were interested because Vlahovic’s salary demands were too high. At only 26 years old, Vlahovic joined Juventus from Fiorentina for £66 million in January 2022 and even scored the winning goal in the 2024 Coppa Italia final.
Although he can be signed without a transfer fee, his wages seem to be a problem. With his strong goal record, Vlahovic is expected to attract a lot of interest this summer, even if top La Liga clubs said no. There are also rumors he might move to the Premier League.
Tutto Juve reports that Chelsea are the “most likely” team to sign him, especially after Xabi Alonso became their new manager. Chelsea already has several strikers like Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, and Nicolas Jackson returning from loan, but Vlahovic could still be a good option.
Gazzetta dello Sport also say Newcastle is interested and that Vlahovic and his agent have “listened to a proposal” from the Magpies. Newcastle needs new attacking players after Anthony Gordon left for Barcelona, and their recent signings have struggled to replace the goals from Alexander Isak last season.
Juve sporting director and former defender Giorgio Chiellini commented on Vlahovic’s departure saying, “With these figures, he won’t stay in Italy, so it’s fair and right that he is looking for a different salary.”