Arsenal were heavily linked with Dusan Vlahovic during the early stages of Mikel Arteta’s tenure before signing for Juventus, but the Serbian is back on the market after his contract expired.
Juventus and Dusan Vlahovic will go their separate ways this summer
Dusan Vlahovic has failed to agree a new contract with Juventus, meaning the former Arsenal target will be sold for free.
The Serbian player spent more than four years in Turin, but Gazzetta dello Sport reports that there was some kind of gap in salary expectations between the two sides, which led to their separation.
Vlahovic initially made a name for himself at Fiorentina, but his performances led to Juventus being invited to sign the Serbian player. He scored 41 times in one and a half seasons and was linked with a move to the Emirates in January 2022, but ultimately remained in Serie A.
Sky Sports reported at the time that Arsenal were hesitant about the high transfer fee, which ultimately became a stumbling block. He ultimately moved for £66 million. Vlahovic was also keen to play for a club in the Champions League, with Juventus being regulars while the Gunners failed to qualify in the four seasons leading up to that spot.
Fresh from winning the Premier League, Arsenal are looking to further improve their squad and Vlahovic was a player they wanted early on in the Mikel Arteta era.
Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti, who was appointed midway through the season, previously made it clear he wanted to keep the 26-year-old and hoped his boss and the striker could reach an agreement.
“We felt the loss of Vlahovic like a big loss,” he said. “You can’t play football without a player with his characteristics, a strong physical threat to score goals. Renewal? As far as I know, the club has tried to make this kind of contact and we will try again, because they have told me so and I trust the managers.”
Victor Gokeres joined Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon last summer (Image: Getty)
Vlahovic was not the prolific striker Juventus were looking for, and the striker only won a solitary Coppa Italia during his time at the once dominant club in Italy. Since joining the club, the Serbian has scored 68 goals in 168 games and was named Serie A’s best striker in 2024.
Arsenal spent £64m to sign Victor Gokeres 12 months ago and although the Swede scored more than 20 goals in his debut season, he is not completely sold on. In important matches such as the Champions League final, Kai Havertz was given priority and sat on the bench.
The Gunners’ defeat to PSG at the weekend highlighted their shortcomings in the final three. Arteta is expected to enter the market and further improve the quality of his attack as Arsenal look to take the lead after a championship year.
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