Several major European clubs, including Arsenal, wanted to sign Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic in the summer transfer window. According to Sky Italia, Fiorentina even received an official bid for the Serbian international from Atletico Madrid, but the club rejected the offer right away.

The list of suitors for the player was long, including the likes of Juventus and AC Milan. Among the English clubs, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham expressed interest in the 21-year-old player. Tottenham were keeping tabs on him as a replacement for Harry Kane if the English striker left.

The Serie A club were looking to sign a contract extension with Dusan Vlahovic, offering him the opportunity to become the highest-paid player in the club’s history. However, he turned down the offer of a new deal at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.

As reported by the Evening Standard, La Viola club president Rocco Commisso revealed in an official statement that Vlahovic will not be signing an extension. Commisso stated:

“When I arrived in Florence, I promised the fans that I would be upfront with them and that I would never make promises that I couldn’t keep.

“I would therefore like to update the Fiorentina fans on an issue that has been much talked and spoken about in recent months – the question of Dusan Vlahovic’s contract.

“As you know, Fiorentina made a very significant offer to the player. Our proposal would have made him the highest-paid player in the history of the club.

“We also improved our offer on a number of occasions in order to accommodate the requests of both Dusan and his entourage. However, despite our efforts, those offers have not been accepted.

“During my time in Florence over the past few weeks, I have personally endeavoured to find a solution that would make both the player and the club happy, but I am disappointed to say that our efforts and attempts have not been rewarded.

“At this point, all that we can do is acknowledge the wishes of the player and his entourage and quickly identify feasible, appropriate solutions as we proceed with this exciting new season.

“In any case, Dusan Vlahovic has a contract linking him to Fiorentina for the next 21 months. We have no doubt that the player will – as he always has – do his bit to help the team achieve its objectives, showing the same level of professionalism he has shown since he arrived in Florence, with the utmost respect from our fans, his team-mates, the coach and the club as a whole.”

Dusan Vlahovic netted 21 goals and made 2 assists in 37 Serie A appearances last season. He already has 8 goals and one assist to his name in 11 league appearances this season. The Serbian has less than 2 years left on his current deal at the Italian club, with his contract ending in June 2023.

More than just the sheer quantity of his goals, the importance of Dušan Vlahović’s goals cannot be underestimated.

He contributed to 16 points for the club — without his goals, Fiorentina would have finished the season in 18th place with 24 points.https://t.co/IxcrMR8LoO pic.twitter.com/n64uI58as4

— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) October 4, 2021

The player’s decision of not signing a contract extension has alerted several top European clubs, with the club also stating that the forward will be allowed to leave in the January transfer window if a suitable offer arrives.

Moreover, recent reports from Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via The Hard Tackle) indicate that Manchester City are considering launching an attempt to secure the signing of the centre-forward at this opportunity with Juventus are also looking to offer competition.

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If Arsenal want to sign Dusan Vlahovic, they would have to hurry up. The race to sign the talented Serbian will heat up as we draw closer to the winter transfer window. However, the club first need to get rid of some players such as Lacazette and Nketiah to be able to sign him.

Getting rid of the unwanted players will be helpful to their cause of signing the forward in two ways. Firstly, Vlahovic needs to see a clear path into the first team as he would not want to face competition after making a high-value transfer. Secondly, the money raised through the exits could be used for his transfer. Edu needs to act quickly.

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