Ben Jacobs confirmed Arsenal’s £45 million proposal, but Chelsea have now joined the fight to capture the Fiorentina striker.
The superstar joined the Serie A club from Partizan in 2018 and has quickly established himself as one of Europe’s hottest assets, scoring 18 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions this season.
The 21-year-success old’s has piqued the interest of Arsenal, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting this week that the Gunners have made a player-plus-cash bid of £58.5 million, with Lucas Torreira joining Fiorentina on a permanent basis as part of the deal.
Mikel Arteta is looking for a new striker after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was locked out of the squad and stripped of the captaincy last month for chronic rule violations.
Alexandre Lacazette’s contract expires at the end of the season and he is unlikely to sign a new one, and Eddie Nketiah is also due to go after failing to sign a new one, therefore Arsenal must bring in offensive reinforcements.
CBS Sports writer Ben Jacobs has now verified that Arsenal has submitted a proposal in which they would pay roughly £45 million in cash plus Torreira in return for Vlahovic’s signing.
The Gunners, however, will have heavy competition, according to Jacobs, who claims that Chelsea have joined the battle to recruit the 6ft 3in striker, with the Serbian’s agent reported to be in talks with a slew of potential suitors.
Vlahovic, according to Jacobs, is still undecided about a move to Arsenal, while Fiorentina is content to wait for further offers to come in as they hope to cash in this month before the striker’s value declines.
He said on Twitter:
Can confirm an Arsenal offer for Dusan Vlahovic of close to 45m plus Torreira. The Fiorentina striker scored 33 goals in 2021, equalling a record in Italy set by Ronaldo. Can see this one dragging out. Vlahovic happy to bide his time & Fiorentina content to assess other offers.
Adding Torreira on a permanent deal helps a little, but Fiorentina will wait for other suitors with Vlahovic not yet fully sold on Arsenal. Chelsea have entered the race, but Barcelona’s interest doesn’t appear too serious.
One thing is for sure, Vlahovic’s agent is busy speaking to lots of clubs. Serbian striker’s contract expires in the summer of 2023, so a January transfer will command the biggest fee… hence a busy agent and links with almost every top club now.
Vlahovic’s current contract has 18 months left on it, thus this could be Fiorentina’s last chance to obtain a decent transfer price, since his worth will decline as his contract nears its end.
Chelsea’s interest will come as a huge blow to Arsenal’s chances of landing Vlahovic, with the Blues possibly viewing the teenager as a potential replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who intimated earlier this week that he wants to return to Inter Milan.
We’ll have to wait and watch what happens in the next weeks, but Arsenal is currently in the driver’s seat, having made a substantial opening bid for Vlahovic. Chelsea, on the other hand, has the financial strength to overtake Arsenal, so we’ll have to wait and see whether they decide to formalise their interest this month.