Arsenal have suffered a huge blow with their consistent chase for Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic. It has been reported that the player wants a move but not to English Premier League. The Gunners are keeping a close eye on Vlahovic since the last summer and are in constant talks with Fiorentina and the player’s representatives this month.
The 21-year-old Serbian forward has been sensational for Fiorentina since the last season and established as one of the best strikers in Serie A. With the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku departed last summer, Vlahovic has been leading the Serie A top goalscoring charts this season with 16 goals in 20 league matches. He has scored 2 goals in 2 Copa Italia fixtures and 4 goals in 8 World Cup Qualifiers matches for Serbia. Former Partizan youngster also scored 21 Serie A goals last season which caught the eye of big European clubs.
Fiorentina are unlikely to finish this season in top-four as they are 9 points behind 4th placed Atalanta. So Vlahovic will be eyeing a Champions League football next season and Fiorentina will be looking to take advantage of this situation with a player’s valuation of around £70 million.
Dusan Vlahovic Prefers Serie A Stay Over Arsenal Move?
Arsenal are looking to go all out to secure Vlahovic’s signature this month. The Gunners have offered a whooping £300k per week wages to the Serbian star and are paying £58 million plus Lucas Torreira. This transfer offer and the contract says how highly Vlahovic is rated at Arsenal. Mikel Arteta has balanced struggling Arsenal finally this season and has found his best eleven. The only concerning issue for Arsenal is their attacking options.
Both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are struggling for the form this season. Aubameyang has been axed from the first team after a disciplinary breach which cost him a captaincy role as well. He is transfer-listed at Emirates and Arsenal are working on his possible departure this month. Lacazette has just 6 months remaining on his contract and he is expected to leave this summer. So signing a new big-name striker is a high priority for Arsenal.
But according to a report from football.london, Vlahovic has told his close friends about his intention to stay in Italy. Both Milan giants and Juventus have shown interest in his signature and are in a need of new striker as well. Juventus are looking to find a replacement for Alvaro Morata who is looking for an exit at Turin with a possible January move to Barcelona.
AC Milan are looking for a long-term striker option as both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud are above 35 of age. Inter Milan replaced Romelu Lukaku with the 35-year-old Edin Dzeko but it was a temporary solution for the Serie A champions. Both Dzeko and Alexis Sanchez are expected to leave in the summer so their interest in Vlahovic is an obvious one.