Man Utd blow as Juventus eye wildcard Zirkzee alternative

Juventus have identified Patrik Schick as a striker target for 2025, according to Italian media.

The Bianconeri are in the market for a new No.9. Though signing a new centre-back is the priority for January given the ACL injuries suffered by Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal, Juventus know that their striker situation is precarious.

Dusan Vlahovic returned from international duty with Serbia battered and bruised. The 24-year-old avoided a serious injury but is still a doubt for the weekend’s crunch clash with AC Milan, potentially leaving coach Thiago Motta without a natural, senior centre-forward.

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Moreover, Vlahovic’s future at the club is up in the air after talks over a new contract have ground to a halt. Juventus are at risk of entering what has been described as the financial ‘danger zone’ due to the eye-watering sums the striker is set to pocket without new amortisation or a pay cut.

Speculation surrounding Vlahovic’s future has given rise to links with Man Utd flop Joshua Zirkzee, but while some may feel that the Red Devils would be better off getting rid of him to free up space for a different striker – perhaps Viktor Gyokeres – it may not be quite as straightforward as this.

Juventus eye Schick

That is because Gazzetta dello Sport now reports that Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick has now emerged as one of the top targets for January.

The Czech international has been unable to displace Victor Boniface in Xabi Alonso’s side and could be on the way out in the winter. Schick is expected to be relatively affordable and he has Serie A experience to boot.

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In fact, Schick almost became a Juventus player in 2017. To this day, it is still not entirely clear why his transfer collapsed at the final hurdle, with some claiming there were complications with his medical while others speak of one party backing out of the deal.

The former Sampdoria, Roma and RB Leipzig striker is viewed as a potential market opportunity, but it remains to be seen if Juventus even have the financial capabilities to sign a defender and a forward in January after a summer of lavish spending.