Arsenal pushing for impossible Dusan Vlahovic transfer

Have Arsenal signed anyone yet? It would appear not. Efforts are being made to strengthen both in midfield and attack, but as is so often the case in January, no move is easy.

A loan deal for Arthur has, in fairness, gone relatively smoothly. Interest was reported and then shortly after there was confirmation of an agreement being struck between all parties, with the Brazilian keen on moving to the Premier League.

All that is left is for Juventus to secure their replacement this window. This one appears as if it’s close to being wrapped up.

Dusan Vlahovic, however, is anything but.

Arsenal pushing for impossible Dusan Vlahovic transfer a Fiorentina are left furious with Serbian striker in January window

Arsenal’s determination to sign the striker this window has been reported across Europe, just as their willingness to pay a premium has been made public. Mikel Arteta and co want this deal completed in the winter window to avoid there being an almighty scramble in the summer when other clubs make their interest known.

But it doesn’t seem to be progressing on. Fiorentina have made their demands, those which Arsenal will meet, and they are content with letting him go in January as the €70m or so they’d recoup is more than the club could ever hope to earn. Vlahovic is the most expensive asset they have, and likely will, ever have.

Corriere Della Sera state that Arsenal have lodged a bid of €60m and Lucas Torreira for the striker, only that the well-documented issues between Fiorentina and Vlahovic’s representatives bubbling way in the background is causing increased friction.

Some sources close to the 21-year-old say he may see the season out and fire Fiorentina into Europe, while others suggest he may even see out his entire contract. There are also mentions of a preference to stay in Italy.

The report adds that Fiorentina are ‘furious’ with the player and his agents’ exorbitant demands, which included a €4m cash in hand payment fee just for the Serbian to sign a new deal with the club, while they also wanted double the original salary of €4m-per-year, which saw talks break down earlier in their careers.

The main issue is that an agreement ‘seems impossible’. This deal is in the hands of Vlahovic and his agents and the latter hold all the power. If they can’t find a solution then Arsenal won’t be able to either. The representatives’ financial demands are outrageous and without them getting what they want they will hold all parties to ransom.

It’s appalling how much they can control football in the modern era, and it’s another one of those red flags that makes you fear about him being at Arsenal.

We can be almost entirely sure that whatever happens will go down to the wire. What is sure is that this move is an exceedingly tricky one. The in-house fighting over in Florence is doing Arsenal no favours.