"Just had one club in my mind" - 22-year-old striker explains why he snubbed Arsenal move in January
Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic has explained why he joined the Serie A giants instead of Arsenal in January.
Vlahovic scored 21 goals for Fiorentina in the 2020-21 season, where he won the Serie A Young Player of the Year award, before another impressive goalscoring start to the recently-concluded campaign. The Serb scored 29 goals and provided six assists in 45 appearances across competitions in the 2021-22 season.
🗣️: "It is an honor to wear this jersey, I can hardly believe it every single time I do. I identify with their DNA. Juve's personality coincides with mine. If you play for Juve you never give up, you fight, and you sacrifice. And that's all I was looking for."
[Vlahovic] https://t.co/GSzHPrljpJ
After Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Barcelona in January, Arsenal attempted to sign Vlahovic, before the 22-year-old ultimately joined Juventus for around ÂŁ73 million (per Transfermarkt).
In an interview with The Telegraph, the Serbian international claimed that his agent deals with all of his transfer business, saying:
“Maybe my agent knows [about Arsenal’s offer] but I never talked to anyone about it.
"I just had one club in my mind because Juventus is Juventus. There is nothing else to say. And now I feel honoured to be given this jersey. It’s incredible every time I put it on.
“I definitely identify with their DNA. The Juventus personality coincides with my personality. When you come here you never give up, you fight all the time, you make the sacrifices. This was definitely what I was looking for.”
Arsenal's failure to sign a new centre-forward in the winter was a key factor behind Mikel Arteta's side's failure to qualify for next season's Champions League, with their lack of firepower ultimately costing them a number of big games.
Gunners striker Alexandre Lacazette scored only four goals in 30 Premier League appearances last season. Eddie Nketiah, meanwhile, scored five in 21 league games.
Dušan Vlahović says he didn’t know about Arsenal’s offer for him in January.
🇷🇸 Dušan Vlahović says he didn’t know about Arsenal’s offer for him in January.
“Maybe my agent knows [about Arsenal’s offer] but I never talked to anyone about it.”
[Exclusive from @TeleFootball] https://t.co/qBfMO3SbIO
Arsenal have bid rejected for superstar Serie A forward
The Gunners' quest for a centre-forward continues following the news that Lacazette will be leaving the Emirates Stadium this summer on a free transfer, with Nketiah's future also appearing uncertain.
Arteta's side have been linked with several number nines this summer, including 23-year-old Napoli forward Victor Osimhen.
According to Il Mattino, as per The Boot Room, the north London club have made an offer of around ÂŁ51 million for the prolific Nigierian international, but the Serie A giants immediately rejected the bid.
Osimhen is one of Europe's most sought-after strikers following an exceptional few seasons, as he netted 18 times in his most previous campaign. The Naples club bought Osimhen from Ligue 1 side Lille in 2020 for ÂŁ67.5 million (per Transfermarkt).
The report claims that the Partenopei won't accept any offer for less than ÂŁ85 million, with Antonio Conte's Tottenham also said to be interested.
Victor Osimhen has now been involved in 17 goals in 22 Appearances for the Super Eagles.
(11 goals, 6 assists.) 🦅 https://t.co/1SU5dv5sTS