Why Dusan Vlahovic Is A Must For PSG

— Dusan Vlahovic

— By Taiwo Steven

PSG continue to be linked with a number of big-name strikers, but there’s a lot to consider in all this. Firstly, the future of Kylian Mbappe will be key and at this moment in time it still seems unlikely that Real Madrid and PSG will be able to agree a deal for Mbappe this summer, but we’ll see what the next two weeks or so hold.

Two names reported to be on PSG’s radar are Victor Osimhen and Harry Kane, but those two would represent a significant financial outlay, so it’s only realistic to consider those two if we do end up seeing a big sale of someone like Mbappe or Neymar. At this moment in time, neither of those are close to leaving, so that really only leaves Dusan Vlahovic as an affordable option.

We know Juventus are willing to move Vlahovic on, as it hasn’t really worked out for him since he joined from Fiorentina. He’s a profile that interests a number of clubs across Europe, and he’d offer something a bit different to PSG’s other attacking talents at this moment in time. It’s possible he could be gettable even without PSG needing to make a big sale, but there are on or two players on the club’s unwanted list who it could be useful to move on, so we’ll see how that all develops between now and the end of the transfer window, but it’s definitely something on Luis Campos’ list.

It’s been a couple of years since PSG really had that kind of a focal point to their attack, and it’s arguable that someone like Vlahovic would be more complementary to someone like Mbappe, should he stay, than Lionel Messi was. There could still be room to boost the team’s creativity too, though, and Bernardo Silva has been very high on PSG’s list of priorities for this transfer window.

Still, after a flurry of recent signings like Marco Asensio, Manuel Ugarte and Lucas Hernandez, PSG’s focus now is on working out who Luis Enrique really sees being part of his plans moving forward with the existing squad, and working out which positions could still be strengthened based on how he sees his vision with PSG in this coming season.

One player already close to leaving PSG is Mauro Icardi as he looks set to make his loan move to Galatasaray permanent. It’s no secret that he’s had a lot going on in his private life in recent years and I think that meant there hasn’t been more serious interest from Premier League clubs.

It’s a strange one, though, because when he arrived initially he was on loan from Inter Milan and he hit the ground running, showing all his best attributes and giving PSG a real predatory striker who was ready to fill the void left by Edinson Cavani. For a while, it looked like PSG had pulled off a masterstroke there, given Icardi’s prolific form, but then it suddenly dropped off massively. Despite that, PSG still negotiated the purchase option, getting him for a bit lower than the initially agreed fee with Inter, and since that move was made permanent it’s been one disaster after another, mostly involving his former partner and agent Wanda Nara.

This left him in the situation where nobody really wanted him at PSG and very few clubs were willing to take a gamble on him either. When Galatasaray came along they gave him a chance to start fresh and he’s really thrived in that environment, his numbers there have been quite impressive. A permanent move is now on the verge of going through and to be honest it looks like a decent return for PSG given that it looked at one point like they could totally lose out on their investment in Icardi.

Despite what may have been reported elsewhere, there was never really any serious competition for Icardi when PSG made his loan move permanent, or at any point after his form really started to decline, so this move could actually end up looking like surprisingly good business for all parties.