Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic isn’t interested in a move to Arsenal in the near future, according to Italian reporter and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.
The Serbia international has been regularly linked with a potential switch to the north London side following his clinical performances in Serie A over the past couple of seasons.
Vlahovic is the leading goal-scorer in this season’s Serie A campaign, with an impressive return of 15 goals and two assists in 17 games in the Italian top flight.
The 21-year-old has been attracting attention from some of Europe’s top clubs but Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur appear to be spearheading interest from the Premier League.
Arsenal are thought to be in the market to sign a new striker after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was dropped by Mikel Arteta for Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Southampton due to disciplinary problems.
Alexandre Lacazette is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, while Gabriel Martinelli has struggled with injuries since moving to Arsenal in 2020.
But transfer expert Romano has revealed that Vlahovic doesn’t want to open talks with Arsenal because the Serbian centre-forward isn’t interested in a move to The Emirates.
“It’s true Arsenal have an interest in Dusan Vlahovic but at the same time we have a lot of reports in the Italian newspapers that Arsenal are prepared to sign Vlahovic in January,” Romano told the Here We Go podcast.
“At the moment, there’s not even a negotiation. The power of Vlahovic in this negotiation is huge. He’s out of contract in June 2023. He scored 30 goals in 40 Serie A games in 2021. It’s incredible. He’s very special but he wants to decide his future.
“He doesn’t want to open talks with Arsenal. This is why it’s going to be more than complicated. At the moment, he has no interest in joining Arsenal.”
Vlahovic scored 21 times in 40 games in all competitions in the 2020-21 season as the Serbian forward enjoyed a breakout season with the Florence club.
The former Partizan Belgrade striker has scored 46 times in 102 games in all competitions for Fiorentina over the past four seasons at La Viola.
ESPN reporter Gabriele Marcotti recently warned Vlahovic’s suitors that the striker’s agents may be difficult to deal with should Arsenal or Spurs manage to enter into negotiations for the Fiorentina star.
“Vlahovic looks really, really, really good,” Marcotti told ESPN FC.
“He’s had the tools, this is the first year that things have really come together for him. You’re talking around about 70, 75 million, his contract’s winding down.
“The one caveat, I think to anybody who wants to buy Vlahovic, is that his agents aren’t always the easiest people to deal with. So, ‘caveat emptor’, as they say.”