EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal talks to sign Dusan Vlahovic break down

Steve Kay

Updated: 22 Jan 2025 08:17 CST
3 min read

Dusan Vlahovic, Arsenal, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Arsenal's talks to sign Dusan Vlahovic this month have broken down, FootballTransfers understands.

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FootballTransfers reported earlier this month that Arsenal made a first bid for the Juventus striker but had their loan offer rejected by the Serie A giants.

Arsenal and Juventus had continued talks since then, with the Bianconeri making it clear that they would only sell Vlahovic for a cash sum.

FootballTransfers has now learned that these talks have now broken down.

Arsenal plan to sign a new striker this month due to their goalscoring woes this season, as well as the recent ACL injury suffered by Gabriel Jesus.

There are a number of potential targets with Wolves’ Matheus Cunha considered the most likely now - as reported by FootballTransfers on Tuesday.

Any chance of Vlahovic ending up at the Emirates now seems unlikely.

This is despite a report in Calciomercato, which states that the Italian giants are cutting their asking price to interested parties to just €40 million for the Serbian.

Juventus open to sell Vlahovic

Juventus are open to offloading Vlahovic this month but will only do so if it is an outright sale, or at the very least a loan with an obligation to buy.

Vlahovic has a contract in Turin that expires in 2026 and renewal talks are not going well.

Vlahovic is the highest-paid player in Serie A on €12 million per season and Juventus are not willing to continue paying him that much given both his underpar performances on the pitch and the club’s new policy of lowering the wage ceiling.

© IMAGO - Vlahovic has disappointed at Juventus

If a new contract can’t be agreed soon - which seems unlikely - Juventus will have no option but to sell Vlahovic in one of the two transfer windows in 2025 to avoid losing him on a free transfer in 2026.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been a long-term fan of the 24-year-old, having failed to sign him in January 2022 when he left Fiorentina for Juventus for €80m.