Arsenal could be ready to land a big-name striker next summer
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta(Image credit: Getty Images)
Arsenal were active in the summer transfer window and Mikel Arteta and company looked to add the final pieces to what they hope will be a title-winning side.
David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino were signed over the summer, while Raheem Sterling was a deadline day loan signing from Chelsea.
While the club added four quality players who will no doubt each play a part in their effort to dethrone Manchester City, many were surprised that the club did not move for a centre-forward, with their squad lacking a top-tier, out-and-out number nine.
Arsenal learn of Dusan Vlahovic asking price
One player that the Gunners have been regularly linked with in recent seasons has been Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, with the Italian press touting him with a move to the Emirates earlier this year.
That came after Arteta’s side moved for the Serbian international in January 2022 when he was still at Fiorentina as they looked for a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Vlahovic would instead move to Juve in a €70million deal and has gone on to score 47 goals for the Turin side in 109 appearances since.
Juventus and Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic is on the radar of Arsenal in the transfer window (Image credit: Getty)
But with the 24-year-old’s contract set to expire in 2026 and no progress made yet in contract talks with Juventus, a number of clubs are said to be monitoring his situation.
However, a report from Fichajes has revealed the asking price that Juventus have set for any teams thinking of moving for the forward in the January window, giving a potential green light to a move.
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Havertz has been in fine form for Arsenal this term (Image credit: Getty Images)
The Italian side are said to have put a €100million price tag on Vlahovic’s head which could ‘complicate’ any move for the Serbian international in the January window. The report adds that this price could decrease as the player’s contract ticks down as the club do not want to risk seeing him leave for a vastly reduced sum over the next year.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, the price tag of €100million is too steep for a player that, while impressive, has not been as prolific as the likes of Haaland and the Premier League’s other top marksmen and €65million by Transfermarkt.
But as his contract dwindles down, it is certainly a situation that Arsenal, and Vlahovic’s other admirers will want to keep an eye on.
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For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
