Does Dusan Vlahovic want to join Arsenal?

Arsenal need to sign a striker this window and have selected their man. Links to other options are substantiated, although none are more prevalent than Dusan Vlahovic.

He’s hard to ignore. Built like freight train, the Serbian is scoring for fun in Serie A with his tally for the season up to 16 goals in 20 appearances, including a trio of assists.

Those numbers carry on from last season where he netted 21 in 37 league outings, but while there are concerns over the supposed ‘stat padding’ that comes from penalties, remove those 11 and it’s still 26 goals in 57 Serie A appearances for someone only 21 years old.

It is worth mentioning, too, that last season Fiorentina finished 13th and are being largely carried into European contention this term on account of Vlahovic’s immense scoring rates. Physical, imposing, connective, boasting elite ball striking technique and able to vary up his game, it is little wonder why Arsenal are interested.

https://twitter.com/acffiorentina/status/1482637497708519425

Does Dusan Vlahovic want to join Arsenal? Mikel Arteta is determined to land Fiorentina striker on £50m deal but there seems little sign of progress

Hourly updates on the situation tend to hover around the same point: Arsenal have either bid or are willing to bid whatever Fiorentina want, and the Italian club are quite content to let him go as they know this fee will trump any amount they can earn at the end of the season. The £50m+ or so they could earn for his services is an astounding amount for a club like Fiorentina.

So why hasn’t the deal come off?

I Viola, like Arsenal, are having to deal in the wonderful world of agents. Vlahovic’s representatives are coming up with exorbitant demands and the Italian side are said to be ‘furious’ trying to negotiate the ‘impossible’.

Depending on where one’s information comes from, Vlahovic is also not overly sold on the idea of moving to Arsenal. He and his entourage are keen on biding their time until the summer when there will be a larger window to move and, crucially, more clubs showing their hand.

Nobody truly knows whether or not Vlahovic wants to move to Arsenal. It’s speculative at this point. And, understandably, supporters aren’t overly sold on pushing the boat out for a player who needs convincing that the move is right to him. Arsenal, as a club, should sell itself. Mikel Arteta said as much himself not long after his arrival.

Taking the Arsenal hat off for a minute, though, and delving into a mixture of conjecture and realism, what might Vlahovic want?

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