Arsenal ready to make £68 million move to beat Chelsea and sign Real Madrid target – Reports
Arsenal are reportedly prepared to launch a £68 million move to lure Chelsea and Real Madrid target Dusan Vlahovic away from Juventus.
The Gunners were said to be heavily linked with Vlahovic before the attacker's £70 million move to the Allianz Stadium in January 2022. After failing to sign the striker, they signed Gabriel Jesus in a £45 million deal from Manchester City last summer.
According to TuttoJuve.com, Arsenal have re-ignited their interest in the Serb and are interested in signing the 23-year-old in January. However, they're likely to face competition from Chelsea and Real Madrid, who are both on the hunt for aa quality No. 9.
Mikel Arteta's side, who have Eddie Nketiah as their only other striking option other than Jesus, are willing to dish out £68 million to convince Juventus to sell Vlahovic. However, the Bianconeri are seeking close to £87 million to part ways with the ex-Fiorentina attacker.
Vlahovic, whose Juve contract expires in 2026, has failed to live up to expectations. He has scored 27 goals and laid out seven assists in 69 games across competitions.
The left-footed striker could be a starter at all three aforementioned clubs. He would displace Jesus at the Gunners and new signing Nicolas Jackson at the Blues and would also start ahead of Joselu at Real Madrid.
Mark Lawrenson makes interesting prediction for upcoming Chelsea vs Arsenal encounter
In his Paddy Power column, Liverpool great Mark Lawrenson predicted a 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Chelsea in their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (October 21).
He wrote:
"Both of these won last time, but I feel this will be a draw. Arsenal had a massive win against Manchester City and they seem to have this knack of scoring really, really late goals which is great but I would suggest that Chelsea are improving a lot."
The Gunners, who are yet to lose a league game this season, are second in the Premier League with 20 points from eight games, only behind Tottenham Hotspur on goals scored. They beat defending champions Manchester City 1-0 in their last league game, at home on October 8.
The Blues, meanwhile, are 11th in the league standings with 11 points from eight games. They're on a three-game winning streak across competitions, including twice in the league. Most recently, they registered a 4-1 league win at newly promoted Burnley on October 7.