There’s a chance that one of the three runners in the race to sign Robin van Persie from Arsenal is dropping out. Juventus might be the preferred destination for the player and Arsenal themselves, but their asking price of at least £25 million is a bit too much for a club that isn’t in a financial position to beat teams like Manchester United and Manchester City for the player.
And it’s not like Juventus haven’t already spent quite a lot of money this season. Following their first Serie A title since 2003 (or 2006, depends on how you count), the team didn’t waste any time and dove right into the transfer market. They’ve already spent on full and co-ownership deals over €50 million, getting Martin Caceres, Emanuele Giaccherini (completing it), Kwadwo Asamoah, Mauriciso Isla, Sebastian Giovinco, Nicola Leali, Alberto Masi, Paul Pogba and Richmond Boakye. Busy, like we’ve said.
They have generated SOME money by selling Christian Pasquato, Eljero Elia and Marco Motta, while the burden of Alessandro Del Piero and Fabio Grosso’s salaries have disappeared but Juventus are still a club that lost a lot of money over the past 12 months. A return to Champions League football will help with that, but there’s a need to balance the desire for success and a return of the club to European glory and of course, financial fair play and balancing the books.
Suddenly, Robin van Persie, who was supposed to be the ‘big name’ signing of the summer for Juve and one of the biggest in Europe looks a bit expensive. Juve, like the two Manchester club, launched a bid for £15 million, which Arsenal have, at the moment, said it’s far too low for what they want for the Premier League’s top scorer from last season with 30 goals. That leaves Juve looking for a cheaper, and in the long term, maybe even better.
Stevan Jovetic has been one of the most coveted young talents, a wonder-kid, in Europe over the last few years. Now, at 22, Jovetic is past his breakout season, coming back from a long long injury to score 14 goals in 27 matches for the club and help them steer away from relegation. Jovetic is a 20 time international with Montenegro, scoring 9 goals for the national team.
Jovetic has been dubbed as the ‘next Baggio’ by Fiorentina fans. If you remember, Roberto Baggio left Fiorentina to Juventus which is the main reason for the very big rivalry between the clubs and especially their fans. Stevan Jovetic might be the next Roberto Baggio in more than one sense, but his asking price might be just as high as Van Persie’s, due to the 7 year difference between the two players. Jovetic isn’t the natural goalscorer Juventus seek, but the potential for great things in the future seems greater than what they’ll get with Van Persie at his prime.