Report: Luka Jović headed to Galatasaray

In news that’s deeply unsurprising, it sounds like Luka Jović is on his way out of Florence. The 25-year-old was fine without impressing in his inaugural campaign with Fiorentina, but questions about his fit with manager Vincenzo Italiano’s tactics and his general demeanor mean that he’s probably not the solution we wanted him to be, and now it sounds like he’s on his way out.

His agent Fali Ramadani is, according to Violanews.com, working on ramming through a move to Galatasaray in the neighborhood of €8 million. It’s a complicated deal due to Jović’s bizarre contract: a 2-year loan from Real Madrid that turns into a free transfer in 2025, with the Spaniards paying half his salary until then, when the Viola will take him for 2 more years of full ownership and pay him somewhere around €4 million. Oh, and that €8 million fee? The Viola will only get half of it, with the rest going to the Merengues.

Galatasaray feels like a perfect landing spot, given the club’s recent history of absorbing former Serie A players. Lucas Torreira (sigh), Mauro Icardi, Nicolò Zaniolo, Fernando Muslera, Kaan Ayhan, and Sérgio Oliveira are all distinguished alumni in the Gala fold, and the Süper Lig is often a great fit for predatory number 9s who don’t do much else (e.g. Icardi).

Jović was supposed to fix the Dušan Vlahović-sized hole in Fiorentina’s front line. The Serbia international had spent years languishing on the Real Madrid bench since his breakout with Eintracht Frankfurt and subsequent €63 million move to Madrid. All he needed, the thinking went, was a chance to reestablish himself as a starter and start banging in the goals again.

The first half went fine, but Jović just wasn’t clinical enough. His misses in the Coppa Italia final were doubtless the lowlights, but he consistently whiffed on gilt-edged opportunities. Even worse, he called Fiorentina “a springboard” and then shushed the fans after scoring against Inter Milan, earning the ultras’ ire.

Combine that with his static approach both in and out of possession and it’s easy to see why he never caught on in Florence. He made 25 starts for the club, including in the cup finals, so nobody can accuse Italiano of not giving him room to shine. It just didn’t happen, and it’s fair to wonder if it ever will again after that one magical season for Frankfurt.

More importantly for Fiorentina, the move would open space for another striker. Arthur Cabral was fine this year but probably isn’t ready to start every game, and the cavalcade of center forwards linked to the Viola (none of whom, per Joe Barone, are actually in the club’s plans) indicate just how badly this team needs a reliable goalscorer. Jović’s departure provides that room, and at least we can be grateful for that.