- Confirmed line-ups: Fulham vs Arsenal – trio ruled out, Jorginho starts
- Arsenal predicted line-up against Fulham
- Arsenal keen on signing Sporting star Viktor Gyokeres
- Arsenal eye move to sign Brentford ace Bryan Mbeumo
- Arsenal interested in signing Real Sociedad star Zubimendi
- Arsenal make approach to sign AC Milan’s Rafael Leao
- Confirmed line-ups: Arsenal vs Man Utd – Gunners dealt huge double blow as key men miss out
- Arsenal hold talks to sign Wolves ace Matheus Cunha
- Arsenal predicted line-up against Manchester United
- Arsenal eye ambitious move to sign Bayern Munich’s Sane
Intriguing Vlahovic to Arsenal transfer claim made
On Caught Offside, Arsenal-affiliated journalist Charles Watts provided an intriguing update on Arsenal’s reported interest in signing Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus.
There’s every reason to believe Arsenal will buy a top striker this summer. The only question is who the striker will be.
Not long ago, Tuttosport reported that Vlahovic might be a Gunner next season if the North Londoners can offer his £52 million asking price and fund his £10 million-a-year salary package.
This and other reports about the former Fiorentina striker have fueled speculation about a potential move to the Emirates Stadium.
Speculation of Vlahovic to Arsenal quashed
In light of the mounting speculation that Arsenal would recruit the Serbian, journalist Charles Watts has dismissed the club’s interest in the 24-year-old.
He reveals that, despite multiple reports back in 2022/23 that Arsenal wanted him before he joined Juventus, Watts says most of those reports were wide of the mark, as Arsenal were never serious about signing Vlahovic.
“But all along, the word I was getting when speaking to people around Arsenal was that the reports were way off,” said Watts of the Vlahovic transfer saga in the winter of 2022.
“Yes, there was some interest because he was a good player who was scoring goals—every top club around Europe was probably interested—but I was always told that that was as far as it went in terms of Arsenal. Sources I spoke to were adamant that no bids had been made and that the sense at the club was that Fiorentina and Vlahovic’s agents were using Arsenal’s name to try and get Juventus to firm up their interest and put some big money on the table, which of course they eventually did.”
It appears that the situation has not changed. The Gunners appreciate the Juve striker, but he is not a priority target for them. Watts says they aren’t convinced that he is actually worth the alleged fee his deal may entail.
“I’ve not heard anything to suggest that Arsenal are looking at Vlahovic as a priority target this summer. He’s done OK at Juventus, but I’m not sure he’s done enough to convince Arsenal, or anyone else, that he would be worth the money it would probably take to get him out of Turin,” added Watts.
Watts’ allegations will undoubtedly surprise many as Vlahovic, who scored 17 goals and provided three assists in 31 league appearances, has been touted as a serious target for the Gunners ahead of the summer.
However, Arsenal have also been linked with the likes of Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Joshua Zirkzee, so there are plenty of other exciting strikers on Arteta’s radar.