With both Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette likely to leave Arsenal this June as free agents, the Gunners are all but destined to pursue a new forward in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Both are into the final season of their contracts, and with little to suggest they will extend their stay at the Emirates Stadium, Mikel Arteta is tipped to dive into the market for a striker for the first time since arriving in north London.
As a result, it wasn't all too surprising to see them get linked with Dusan Vlahovic, the highly-rated Fiorentina forward who appears destined to leave the Stadio Artemio Franchi. The Serbian, whose contract runs until 2023, recently rejected a contract extension from I Viola and will thus be put up for sale for a staggering $92.M.
The 6 ft 3 in attacker has enjoyed a meteoric rise, being one of the most in-form attackers over the last 18 months, The 21-year-old netted an impressive 21 times in 37 Serie A appearances last season, and has carried on with his exploits, scoring eight goals this term, which amounts to 50 percent of Fiorentina's goals in the ongoing Italian top-flight campaign.
And according to well-respected Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Arsenal made contact with the player's Serie A employers in a bid to beat Tottenham – their fellow north London giants are also interested in the Serbian – to his signature in January. While the Sky Sport Italia transfer expert stated that Fiorentina and the Gunners had "found the outlines of an agreement", the report added that no agreement had been reached with the striker or his agent.
Di Marzio then offered an update, recently claiming that Arsenal began attempts to contact the player, but were struggling to do so as Vlahovic's agent has been ignoring calls from the Emirates Stadium.
"The problem is that Arsenal are unable to speak to the player's agents, they do not answer the phone. The Gunners want to talk to the boy to explain their project to him, but these lack of answers make it impossible to enter into a negotiation," the journalist told Sky Italia.
But is there any truth to these claims? Fellow transfer guru Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to explain his understanding of the situation, claiming that while there is understandable interest from Arsenal, there are no ongoing talks with Fiorentina or the player.
There are currently no talks ongoing between Dušan Vlahovic agents and Arsenal board. Gunners are among many club following Vlahovic situation - but there's nothing advanced as of today. #AFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 9, 2021
Fiorentina want €70/80m to sell Vlahovic in January. He's out of contract in 2023.
Well-known journalists Charles Watts and James Benge of Goal and CBS Sports, respectively, have offered more opposing claims. Both report that the Gunners are, in fact, NOT even pursuing the players. However, a new striker is a priority next summer.
Lots of talk about Vlahovic and Arsenal. My understanding of the situation is there have been no negotiations and he's not a target. Signing a forward clearly will be high on the agenda next summer, but as it stands he's not one they are looking at.
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) November 10, 2021
For all the talk of Dusan Vlahovic to Arsenal I'm told the Gunners are not actively targeting him at this moment. There are no negotiations right now with Fiorentina.
— James Benge (@jamesbenge) November 10, 2021
Currently, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been performing well, scoring seven goals in 11 appearances so far this season. This has helped Mikel Arteta's side turn around their form, going from bottom of the league after Matchweek 3 to fifth in the table over the weekend. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see who Arsenal recruit next summer after spending tons of money to address the spine – defense and midfield.
