Fabrizio Romano has offered an update on Arsenal’s pursuit of Dusan Vlahovic amid reports the Gunners have tabled a £50m bid for the Fiorentina striker.
Vlahovic has become one of the hottest strikers in football having scored 19 goals in 23 games so far this season and his potential has attracted interest from several teams throughout Europe’s top leagues.
Arsenal are showing the most serious interest in Vlahovic this month as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his attacking options after axing former skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the squad in late November.
Alexandre Lacazette has performed well since stepping in for Aubameyang but the Frenchman is expected to leave Arsenal when his contract expires in June while Eddie Nketiah is also set to depart after refusing to sign a new deal.
With three strikers expected to leave over the coming months, Arsenal are desperately trying to bring in another frontman this winter and Vlahovic has been widely touted as Arteta’s primary target.
Italian outlet Corriere Della Sera reported over the weekend that Arsenal have formalised their pursuit after submitting a £50m [€60m] offer that would also see Lucas Torriera join Fiorentina on a permanent basis following his successful loan.
Arsenal are pushing for Dusan Vlahovic in January, but @FabrizioRomano would like to see him go to Tottenham this summer. 👀@Bonetti, @MikeGrella10 and @IFTVMarco hope he stays in Italy, with Juventus also interested in signing the Fiorentina striker. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/dck7rsOkaD
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 17, 2022
The Serie A outfit are reportedly prepared to do business this month as they know Vlahovic’s value will drop by the summer when he’ll have just 12 months remaining on his current contract. The 21-year-old is refusing to sign an extension so Fiorentina are willing to cash-in now and it looks like Arsenal are doing all they can to get a deal agreed.
Well-known transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has now provided an update on the situation and confirmed that Arsenal are the only club to put forward an offer and are pushing to get a transfer done this month.
However, Romano says the deal is extremely difficult as Vlahovic wants to remain at Fiorentina until the end of the season. The striker feels there will be more clubs in for him in the summer and Arsenal have so far been unable to persuade him to move to the Emirates in January.
Speaking to CBS Sports, Romano says Tottenham are one of the clubs who’ll be after the Serbian international in the summer while Juventus could also be in the race – although the fees involved may make any deal too expensive for the Italian giants.
No doubt Arsenal will continue to push for an agreement with Vlahovic this month but as it stands it looks increasingly unlikely that they’ll be able to lure the striker to north London before the January window closes.
