Arsenal suffer huge Dusan Vlahovic transfer setback

Ahead of the 1-0 home victory over Watford rumours began to emerge of Arsenal agreeing a deal in principle with Fiorentina to sign Dusan Vlahovic for a staggering €80m.

It’s an astounding figure for a player who has less than two years to run on his deal and is still only 21 years old, but one that should no longer be considered insurmountable for the Gunners.

Splashing £50m on Benjamin White over the summer and roughly £150m in total, the acquisitions made by Mikel Arteta were a huge show of faith in the manager from a club that firmly believes he is the man to turn the tide in north London.

This is also the same Arsenal that spent (and are still paying) €84m (£72m) on Nicolas Pepe back in 2019. As the biggest net spenders in Europe last summer there had to be a positive reaction on the pitch, one that the manager is overseeing.

https://twitter.com/acffiorentina/status/1455807928389316608

Arsenal suffer huge Dusan Vlahovic transfer setback as Mikel Arteta eyes Fiorentina striker on staggering €80m January deal

With just over a quarter of the Premier League season played it is far too soon to be confidently instilling Arsenal as favourites for a European berth, but their chances of achieving that have been greatly increased.

It’s put a lot of credit in the Arteta bank, and with the interest he’s making on those investments the calls for further funds in key areas are more likely than ever to be heard.

Still, for €80m (£68m) Vlahovic has to be the guy, and transferring his scoring rates over into English football from Serie A is a notably tough ask, so there is definite risk involved. There always is with such an outlay.

The rumours have the Serbian down as the number one target, with the likes of Alexander Isak among the other names banded around as the Spaniard hunts for his ideal replacement for Alexandre Lacazette and eventually Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

But while the strong reports suggested an agreement between the Fiorentina and Arsenal, from the players’ perspective there was still work to be done. Naturally for a striker coveted by Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Juventus there is no need to rush into any decisions. Vlahovic can bide his time and wait for the best offers from the best clubs in Europe.

As per Florence-based La Nazione, it is Arsenal and Bayern who’ve come forward the most in this pursuit, although the Gunners are said to be at the ‘front row’ and may be able to suffice with paying around €10m less than the previously mentioned fee if they want to lure him away in January.

However, any potential deal has suffered a setback.

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Dusan Vlahovic Has No Interest in Arsenal Transfer Move

One need only list the names of Manchester City and Bayern Munich to get an understanding of which garden Arsenal are trying to pick their vegetables from. It’s a pretty exclusive patch.

As seen over the summer they’re not afraid to tread into uncharted territories, those occupied by clubs competing in the elite European competition known as….the Champions League(?).

This is a clearly a considerable setback. While the striker has never played on minute of European club football in his career to date, his next move will surely be with an eye on getting his first taste.

As per Florence journalist Enzo Bucchioni, the feeling from Arsenal’s camp is not being reciprocated by Vlahovic.

"“From England the other day there was news that Arsenal would be willing to deal the Serbian centre forward for €80m, but the deal would not even start due to a sharp ‘we are not interested’ coming from the player’s entourage,” he said. “If this were true and if other negotiations (Tottenham, City, Atletico) bridged by La Viola managers received a similar no, it is not excluded that once Mayoral arrives, continuing the transfer refusals in January, Vlahovic could end up in the stands, outside the technical idea of​​ [Fiorentina manager Vincenzo] Italiano.” “Rocco will look for a solution until the end. He knows well that it would still be better to find a point of understanding perhaps by concluding a good transfer in January, or by agreeing a deal in January, with departure in June.”"

Is this Champions League related? Quite possibly, but at least from this angle there is no interest in moving to Arsenal from the player’s side. How connected Bucchioni is to the case isn’t known but he appears to be tuned into the ongoings.

It won’t come as a huge surprise. Arsenal aren’t playing in Europe whatsoever this season and there are absolutely no guarantees that they will next season either. What the club can offer the centre-forward is minutes, as Lacazette will join Nketiah in leaving at the end of the season at a time when Aubameyang will be entering his twilight.

That, and the positivity around the club that a return to Europe can be achieved.

However, for now, if the Gunners are as keen as reports suggest, they may need to quell that interest as other big sides look set take the lead.