Arsenal have met most of the transfer demands of Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic, with Mikel Arteta still pressing to complete the signing this month.
According to the Daily Mirror, three out of four of the criteria that the north Londoners have to meet in order to sign the super Serbian have been met already, with money not proving to be too much of an issue in the deal.
The Gunners have agreed a £50m figure with Fiorentina, apparently, with La Viola keen to get the transfer wrapped up now. Lucas Torreira – on loan in Florence – will stay permanently as part of the deal, with the Serie A side agreeing on the fee with 18 months left on Vlahovic's contract.
The sticking point for many other big clubs has been the exorbitant agency fees. Vlahovic's representatives are apparently holding out for around £8m – but now the Mirror claim that Arteta is prepared to pay that in full.
A wage has also reportedly been agreed, too – though the Mirror's claims of £300,000 a week do not correlate with other reports that estimate Arsenal will pay the 21-year-old £180,000 a week.
The only issue to sort is the promise of success. Vlahovic wants guaranteed Champions League football and with Arsenal missing out on the competition since 2017, they cannot give their word that they will be competing at the highest echelons of the sport – despite a marked improvement under Mikel Arteta in recent weeks and months.
It's thought that Arsenal do not have a plan B that they will turn to during this transfer window. Vlahovic may well be subject to a transfer battle between the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Juventus in the summer, should he still be at Fiorentina by then.
Vlahovic is valued at £63m on Transfermarkt.
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