Juventus Striker Mario Mandzukic Heading to Qatar After Rejecting Offers From MLS

facebooktwitterreddit

​Juventus star Mario Mandzukic is set for a move to an unnamed Qatari club, after rejecting a number of offers from the USA's Major League Soccer.

Mandzukic has been deemed surplus to requirements for Maurizio Sarri's Juve side and the Croatian forward has not been named in I Bianconeri's matchday squad to face Fiorentina on Saturday afternoon.

The 33-year-old arrived in Italy in 2015 and has been a key figure in Juve's domestic success in recent years.

Mandzukic has attracted interest from MLS, and a move to Los Angeles FC seemed like a viable possibility for the striker. However, Juventus director Fabio Paratici denied these claims and confirmed that the forward has accepted a move to a Qatari club, as reported by ​Football Italia

The 2018 World Cup finalist leaves Turin after four successful years in Serie A, winning the domestic league title in each season. The former ​Atletico Madrid player also played a key role in Juventus' European endeavours and even scored in the 2017 Champions League final, which his side eventually lost 4-1 to Real Madrid.

Since the arrival of Sarri, Mandzukic's role at the Italian club has diminished, and he was subsequently axed from I Bianconeri's Champions League squad for the upcoming season, alongside Emre Can.

The ​Juve man has not started either of Juve's opening matches this season, and his time at the Italian league champions appears to be over.

It had previously been reported that the ​ex-Bayern Munich man had rejected a potential move to Qatar, and seemed destined to remain at Juve until January, but the Croatia International has finally accepted a move away from Turin.