HITC Football understands Arsenal are keeping abreast of Dusan Vlahovic’s contract situation at Juventus as he remains a player of huge interest to the North London giants.
Vlahovic turned down Arsenal in 2022 in order to join Juve, but interest from the Gunners has never disappeared.
The Serbian striker endured a difficult campaign last season and that saw him linked with a summer move to England.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all held talks with intermediaries about a possible deal and Juventus were understood to be open to him being sold.
However, Juve brought in Cristiano Giuntoli last summer and things have changed.
Giuntoli persuaded Max Allegri to stay in charge, and he now wants to tie down Vlahovic along with team-mates Federico Chiesa and Adrien Rabiot, who he sees as key to their future.
Now, Vlahovic is again hitting form as one of Europe’s top strikers and Juve want him to finalise a new deal, with his current contract due to expire in 2026.
Sources have though confirmed to HITC Football that Arsenal’s interest in Vlahovic remains firm and they are watching his situation with interest.
Juve have informed Vlahovic they would like to finalise a new agreement over the summer ahead of next season.
Dusan Vlahovic would bring something different to Arsenal
Arsenal may well feel that one major striker signing this month can fire them to the Premier League title.
Saturday’s 5-0 win over Crystal Palace has put Arsenal back on track but fans will have concerns about the attack at Mikel Arteta’s disposal.
Gabriel Jesus is a fine player who links play and creates brilliantly for a striker, but he isn’t the most clinical finisher around.
Eddie Nketiah has shown value as a predatory inside the penalty area, but he has only scored in one Premier League game since the end of August.
Yes, he scored a hat-trick in that one game, but there are questions about Nketiah’s quality as a top-level striker.
Vlahovic may fit the bill and he has been in great form this season, smashing 11 goals and three assists in 19 Serie A appearances.
The 23-year-old has proven himself as a predator inside the box, but he also has ability from range.
Vlahovic scored two stunning goals from outside the area against Sassuolo just a few days ago, showing his ability to score from distance.
One crucial factor is that Vlahovic offers more of a physical presence up front; he stands at 6ft 3in tall and can offer a real aerial threat to this Arsenal side.
Hailed as a ‘complete’ striker by Pantaleo Corvino, who helped bring him to Fiorentina, Vlahovic would be entirely different to anything Arsenal currently have in the final third right now.
A deal won’t be cheap, especially in January, but Arsenal may well be willing to wait in order to finally land Vlahovic more than two years since missing out.
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