The European transfer window is starting to show its teeth, and the noise coming out of Turin is getting harder to ignore. GoalZaza can confirm that J...
The European transfer window is starting to show its teeth, and the noise coming out of Turin is getting harder to ignore. GoalZaza can confirm that Juventus have opened direct channels of communication with Atletico Madrid regarding their imposing centre forward, Alexander Sorloth. This is not a mere enquiry; this is a negotiation. The Old Lady is looking for a certain kind of presence in the box, a battering ram capable of holding up play and finishing with authority, and the Norwegian international fits that profile like a glove. For Thiago Motta, a striker who can pin centre backs and bring midfield runners into play is not a luxury, it is a necessity.You have to wonder what this means for Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian has the talent, but the fit has often felt itchy, like a kit that is one size too small. Sorloth offers a different kind of threat. He is a more traditional number nine, a predator who thrives on crosses and second balls. His spell at Villarreal showed he can be a clinical finisher in a league that prizes defensive organisation, and his time in Germany proved he has the physicality to cope with the rigours of a long campaign. Atletico paid a decent chunk for him, but if he is not in Diego Simeone's long term plans, a move to Serie A could reignite a career that has sometimes simmered rather than boiled.Meanwhile, the plot thickens further south in the Premier League. Nottingham Forest are not sitting still. They have their eyes fixed on Lois Openda, the RB Leipzig dynamo who has been tearing up the Bundesliga with his blistering pace and sharp movement. Forest are a club that has learned the hard way that buying a dozen players at once does not work. Now they are being more surgical. Openda would give them something they lack: genuine speed in behind the defensive line. He is a nightmare for a high line, a player who punishes hesitation in a split second.But here is the rub. Openda is not a Sorloth alternative; he is a totally different animal. One is a target man, the other is a greyhound. The question for both Juventus and Forest is simply this: what is the price of ambition Leipzig have no need to sell, and Atletico will drive a hard bargain. January windows are for clubs who know exactly what they want. Judging by these reports, both Juventus and Nottingham Forest have their answers ready. Now we wait to see who blinks first.
