Arsenal are closely monitoring Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The Gunners currently have Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus as their centre-forward options, but the latter has been touted to leave at the end of the season. Jesus will enter the final year of his Gunners deal this summer and could pursue a new challenge where he has the assurance of regular playing time.
Arsenal may want a new striker in the squad for next season and Mundo Deportivo claim that the Gunners are closely tracking the situation of Vlahovic alongside Bayern Munich and Barcelona. In the last few hours, Atletico Madrid have also been offered the chance to sign the 26-year-old striker through an intermediary.
Vlahovic’s current deal with Juventus expires at the end of June and he has opted against a renewal. He has snubbed the club’s £5m per year salary offer to renew and wants at least £7m per season. The Serbian has no plans to change his stance and looks set to leave on a free transfer agreement during the summer.
Unlikely deal
Arsenal were widely fancied to sign Vlahovic during his time at Fiorentina in early 2022, but the Serbian ace preferred to stay in Serie A and ended up joining Juventus for £67 million. The deal was considered as a big setback for the Gunners at the time, but Vlahovic has not necessarily hit the ground running in Turin.
Barring a decent start in his debut campaign, he has failed to find consistency with his goalscoring. He has accumulated a tally of just 66 goals from 166 matches for the Bianconeri, and has not fulfilled his full potential. Arsenal have once again been linked with his services, but they may not make a contract offer for him.
The Gunners already have two quality centre-forwards in Gyokeres and Havertz, and may want a young marksman, who can learn from the duo as a third-choice solution. Vlahovic is unlikely to entertain such a role, and may want the guarantee of regular starts if he were to join the Gunners on a free transfer deal this summer.
Arsenal may also be unwilling to pay a hefty signing-on fee and salary to a player, who has had plenty of injury woes. He has missed almost 50 matches for Juventus with countless injuries. 50% of those games have been this campaign. Hence, we don’t see the Gunners making a move for the former Fiorentina sensation.
