€60m-rated Serie A forward an interesting option for Barcelona, but Arsenal also moving to take the lead in race | OneFootball

FC Barcelona boasts a strong squad that is well-equipped to serve the club for the next decade, if not longer. Thanks to La Masia, the Blaugrana have remained competitive despite undergoing a period of financial turmoil.

There are areas in the squad where Barcelona lack depth, and one such position is center-forward. Robert Lewandowski has been in tremendous form this season, but at 36, the club must start planning for his replacement in the near future.

Although the Polish striker appears set to stay at the club for at least another season, Barcelona could look to bring in a forward who can initially rotate with Lewandowski and eventually succeed him when the time is right.

However, despite having returned to the 1:1 rule in January, Barcelona will have to be prudent with their spending. With this in mind, as per Tutto Mercato Web, the Catalan club find Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović an ‘interesting option’ due to his bargain price.

The €60m-rated Serbian forward has a contract with the Italian club until 2026 and he isn’t showing any signs of extending his stay at Turin. Thus, come the summer, he would be in the final year of his contract and the report claims that Juventus would be willing to let him go for around €35m.

Vlahović is 25 years old, which puts him in the perfect age profile that Barcelona must be looking at. He is not very young to not be able to handle the pressure. The last thing the club wants is another debacle like Vitor Roque.

On the other hand, the Juventus striker is also young enough to not yet hit his prime. He still has a few years to go and will benefit from learning from someone like Robert Lewandowski. On paper, it does make a lot of sense.

In 32 games so far this season across all competitions, Vlahović has scored 14 goals and provided two assists. Those aren’t exactly numbers to boast about but considering the price and the potential that he has, this might not be a bad deal from the Catalan club’s perspective. Let’s wait and see how it plays out in the coming months.

Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

However, there is one stumbling block in this operation for Barcelona. The last time they wanted to sign a player from Juventus, it was Federico Chiesa, who ended up joining Liverpool. In hindsight, it would be safe to say that the Spanish side dodged a bullet.

Similarly, this time, with Vlahović, Barcelona have the threat of Arsenal to face and contend with. The Gunners have moved to take the lead in the race to sign a player they have been linked with for a long time and it remains to be seen if Deco is able to alter this situation during potential negotiations with the Serie A forward’s camp.