TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Rumor
LAFC are flying high in MLS, but could they reinforce their squad with a star striker?
That's the word out of Italy, where Gianluca di Marzio reports LAFC are interested in Juventus forward Mario Mandzukic.
The 33-year-old has enjoyed a successful tenure at the Serie A champions, but he was rumored to be on his way out of the club in the summer, and despite not moving away, still seems likely to move on when the transfer window opens again in January.
Mandzukic has enjoyed a very successful career to date in Europe. Getting his start in his native Croatia, the forward won three straight league titles with Dinamo Zagreb (two of those years domestic doubles), before moving to Germany, playing for Wolfsburg and then Bayern Munich, where he won a treble, including the Champions League, as well as two other Bundesliga titles.
He then spent a season in Spain playing for Atletico de Madrid, before moving to Juventus in 2015, winning four Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia tropies, and reaching the Champions League final twice.
Mandzukic is also a former Croatian international, having finished his tenure as his country's second-highest scorer and helping Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final.
A big man with good feet, Mandzukic is apparently totally out of Juventus' plans, with Di Marzio reporting that the club is willing to let him train elsewhere to stay fit until the transfer window opens, were he to agree to a deal with the window currently closed.
LAFC currently have three Designated Players and are leading the Supporters' Shield race, having scored the by far the most goals in MLS this season. But with the team clinching their debut appearance in the Concacaf Champions League next year, they could be looking to bolster their talent before heading out on their maiden continental excursion.
