Arsenal's hopes of landing Dusan Vlahovic this month have taken a big hit, with the super Serbian striker interested in a rival, instead.
The Fiorentina forward sent Arsenal fans wild with excitement last night during a 6-0 win over Genoa. Vlahovic was on the scoresheet in the second half – along with on-loan Gunner Lucas Torreira – while he missed a failed panenka penalty in the first half.
What really set the cat amongst the pigeons, however, was the 21-year-old's body language towards the stands. Vlahovic waved with two hands to the La Viola faithful, with many Gooners online speculating that the 21-year-old was potentially bidding his fans farewell ahead of a big move
One Italian journalist has stated that there's little chance of it being to north London, though.
Giacomo Scutiero says landing Vlahovic has become Juventus' priority, with the Old Lady prepared to stump up the astronomical agent fees for the striker. While the youngster remains reportedly unconvinced by Arsenal's project, too, Scutiero claims he's willing to overlook Juventus missing out on Champions League football – and that a deal was agreed last autumn.
It would certainly seem unlikely to be as cut and dry as some are claiming, given that Arsenal have got this far in their pursuit of the player without being shut down categorically from Vlahovic or his representatives. While Juventus have a history of poaching the top starlets from the rest of Serie A, too, their influence has waned in recent years and ultimately, the Premier League is a huge pull for any player.
It seems far more likely that Vlahovic is simply unsure on his future. The Serbian has been said to want to wait until the summer to decide on his next move, with correlates with the rest of the timeline – and though Juve are no doubt interested in his services, they would have to offer a formidable deal in the summer to fend off the elite clubs from signing the striker.
Vlahovic is valued at £63m on Transfermarkt.
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