Arsenal made an initial attempt to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, but the Serie A powerhouses turned down their loan offer for the Serbian international. Mikel Arteta, the manager of the Gunners, has always admired Vlahovic and was even beaten to signing him when the 24-year-old left Fiorentina in January 2021 for €83.5 million.
After Arsenal’s FA Cup loss to Manchester United, their Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle, and their disappointing Premier League draw with Brighton, the Gunners are begging for more firepower. Arteta is going after this goal again to give the Gunners an advantage as the second half of the season approaches. Arsenal submitted a loan offer for Vlahovic at the end of last week, but Juventus turned it down because they want to sell the player outright or, at the very least, include a purchase clause in any short-term agreement.
Arsenal’s first Vlahovic bid rejected by Juventus
Arteta wants to wait until the summer to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, who won’t be available until the end of the season; therefore, Arsenal isn’t willing to make a big bid for Vlahovic just yet. The Slovenian star was pursued by several teams last summer, including the Gunners, who are now in a position to activate his 2025 release clause. However, if Vlahovic does well after arriving in North London on a six-month loan, that plan might be altered. It might persuade Arsenal to select him over their top target right now.
Additionally, bringing the Serb in on loan is still the ideal situation for the second half of the season, but they might not agree to such a deal. For financial reasons, they would prefer to sign Vlahovic without any commitments. If the transaction falls through, he might be returned to Juventus in the summer, at which point they may look at Sesko again. Reaching a consensus on a loan arrangement that works for both teams is now the difficulty.
