Journalist Fabrizio Romano has dismissed reports that Arsenal are in pursuit of Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic.
A recent report from Italian outlet Corriere Fiorentino (via Sport Witness) claimed that Mikel Arteta’s men were showing an interest in the Serbian forward, who scored 21 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions for Fiorentina this season and who has a Transfermarkt value of £22.5m.
With the future of Alexandre Lacazette uncertain at this stage as he heads into the final year of his contract at the club, the centre-forward position is certainly one that could use some tweaking at the Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners looking to rebuild from such a disappointing season.
But speaking on the Here We Go podcast, while Romano stated that Vlahovic was indeed a very good player, he was quick to shut down any claims that he is on Arsenal’s radar this summer:
“Dusan Vlahovic, rumours from Italy for the striker of Fiorentina. Amazing player, he really is, scored 21 goals in a single season with Fiorentina, really is an interesting player, he’s 21 years old.
“But he’s not joining Arsenal, so there were rumours about Arsenal making the bid, something like this. No, not true, Vlahovic is not going to Arsenal.”
TIF Thoughts on Fabrizio Romano’s comments about Dusan Vlahovic and Arsenal…
How much will Arsenal spend this summer?
More than £100m
Less than £100m
Whether it’s a case that Arsenal were not interested in him, or that they were and it’s unlikely they’d make a move, it’s a real shame because he does seem like the kind of player that could help Arsenal moving forward should Lacazette move on.
He clearly knows where the goal is, and standing at over 6’2” (1.88m), his physical attributes would arguably see him become one of Arsenal’s main aerial threats – certainly in an attacking sense. So maybe this is something for them to examine down the line, and hopefully when they are back in Europe, they’ll be in a better position to try and recruit talented youngsters such as Vlahovic.
In other news: ‘From what I understand’ – Charles Watts reveals intriguing Arsenal transfer news