Cristiano Ronaldo announced his departure from Juventus last night after three relatively successful seasons at the club.
The Portuguese shocked the footballing world when he made a move to Allianz Stadium in 2018, but he hit the ground running almost immediately. In his rather short career at the club, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 101 goals and provided 22 assists in just 134 appearances across competitions.
Juventus have lost their talisman with just a few days remaining in the ongoing summer transfer window. So the Old Lady have quite a task at hand, as they now have to find a replacement for a player who scored more than 20 goals a season for three campaigns.
On that note, here’s a look at the five players who could replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus:
#5 Dusan Vlahovic
Juventus have been heavily linked with Dusan Vlahovic during the ongoing summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old was one of the best forwards in the 2020-21 Serie A season, finding the back of the net 21 times for an underperforming Fiorentina side. Vlahovic played a direct role in over 44% of La Viola’s goals in the Italian league season, emerging as one of the most promising strikers in the continent.
The likes of Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool have been linked with a move for the Serbian international. According to various reports, Vlahovic cost any interested club upwards of €50 million.
Dusan Vlahovic is a clinical striker, and has an eye for goal – two traits Cristiano Ronaldo possesses as well. However, he’s still not a proven goalscorer despite having the potential to be one in the coming years.
#4 Mauro Icardi
While PSG have brought in some of the biggest names in world football this transfer window, they have also accumulated an exorbitant wage bill.
That could lead to several outgoings in the remaining days of the summer window, and one of the players on their way out could be Mauro Icardi. The Parisians now have the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi and Julian Draxler to choose from in the forwards’ department.
So Mauricio Pochettino might deem his compatriot surplus to requirements, and Icardi could be on his way back to Italian football. According to Gianluca Di Marzio and various other sources, Juventus are quite keen on signing the prolific goalscorer.
Juventus are also reportedly exploring the option of bringing Icardi on loan, as the PSG board has been hesitant in letting him leave permanently.
