Arsenal appear to be the only team seriously pursuing Dusan Vlahovic in January. The Gunners will soon table a large bid. It will likely fall on deaf ears despite the tense situation between the Serbian striker and Fiorentina, La Nazione reports.
The Viola management often urged the star to either sign a new contract or publicly ask out. While the club might not mind ripping the band-aid off, the center-forward prefers to stay until the end of the season.
According to the local newspaper, Arsenal will offer €70M to Fiorentina, €19M annual wages to Vlahovic, and large commissions to his agents. The Italian side will evaluate it, but the prospective transfer will predominantly hinge on the will of the player. He signaled that he plans to wait till the summer when more landing spots will emerge. The Gunners are not his preferred destinations. They reportedly had trouble establishing contacts with his entourage in recent weeks.
After 12 successful attempts, Vlahovic ace missed his first penalty kick in Serie A yesterday, as Salvatore Sirigu intercepted his Panenka. He apologized to the crowd after halftime and later bagged a lovely lob over the goalkeeper. He is now up to 17 goals. Coach Vincenzo Italiano did not shed much light on the future of the striker in his post-game comments: “We will enjoy him until he is here. I do not know what will happen down the line. He reacted with a great goal and an excellent performance after a careless PK. He is properly motivated for now.”