Luka Jovic’s time at Real Madrid is about to come to an end according to Marca. The Serbian striker never lived up to the expectations generated by the €60m investment Madrid made in him during the summer of 2019 and has become deadweight.
And now, three years later, he leaves the club on a free transfer for Fiorentina. They’ll pay nothing for his services but assume his salary. Madrid gain no immediate transfer fee but will save €30m in wages given Jovic still had three years left to run on his contract. They’ve also included a significant sell-on fee.
The feeling is that clubs are going to have to increasingly perform operations like this to move on underperforming high-earners. But it’s worth it. Not only does it mean the club cuts their losses financially but it also means that there aren’t unwanted players sitting on the bench at the club, clouding up the atmosphere. And Jovic won’t be the last player to leave Madrid this summer.