It was no secret of Manchester City’s interest in Fiorentina’s young star forward Dusan Vlahovic during the summer transfer window. He was targeted by the English club in the hope of covering up for the failed transfer of Tottenham Hotspur marksman Harry Kane.
The departure of legendary striker Sergio Aguero to Barcelona set things rolling and the Cityzens had to make peace with the high-profile signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa.
Atletico Madrid were the other club heavily linked with a move for Vlahovic.
The Serbian has been in the midst of a contract renewal saga with La Viola for some time now but to no avail as both parties have failed to boil down to agreeable terms.
Earlier, Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso revealed the club’s intention of holding onto the 21-year-old powerhouse at least until 2022/23.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football365) have disclosed that it was the forward himself who turned offers away after both City and Atletico had ‘put €70m on the plate’ for Fiorentina, including bonuses.
If a contract renewal deal is reached between the Serbian marksman and La Viola, it will mean the inclusion of a release clause, which is touted to be in the region of €80-100m.