Atletico Madrid plot audacious hijack of Barcelona’s priority target, threatening to steal Hansi Flick’s choice.
Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco have agreed on a clear profile: a proven goalscorer in his mid-20s, physically dominant, technically assured, and ready to lead the line in both La Liga and the Champions League.
Initial contacts had been positive, the player’s camp receptive, and Barcelona were confident of wrapping up a deal next summer without excessive competition.
That sense of calm has now been shattered, with Atletico Madrid launching a determined bid to hijack the entire operation and land the striker for themselves in what would be a seismic blow to the Blaugrana rebuild.
The player at the centre of this escalating tug-of-war is Dušan Vlahović, as reported by Fichajes.
The 25-year-old Juventus marksman has turned down a substantial wage cut in Turin, instantly alerting Europe’s elite and placing the Italian club under pressure to cash in rather than lose him for nothing in 2027.
Barcelona views the Serbian as the ideal long-term No.9: powerful in the air, lethal with both feet, and possessing the big-match temperament required to succeed Lewandowski.
Preliminary discussions have already taken place, and sources close to the Camp Nou insist Vlahović is excited by the prospect of becoming Barcelona’s focal point alongside Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
Yet Atletico Madrid’s sudden intervention has changed everything.
Diego Simeone, never one to miss an opportunity to strengthen at a rival’s expense, has reportedly made Vlahović his primary target should the club move on from current options.
With greater financial flexibility than Barcelona and a proven track record of aggressive domestic transfer coups, Atletico Madrid is ready to accelerate talks and table a concrete offer as early as January if Juventus’s stance softens.
For Hansi Flick’s side, already navigating a delicate injury list and salary-limit tightrope, losing their chosen successor to a direct La Liga rival would be a hammer blow both on and off the pitch.
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