Transfer Centre

Arsenal, Bayern Munich 'offered chance to sign Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 01 May 2023

Arsenal, Bayern 'offered chance to sign Dusan Vlahovic'

Arsenal and Bayern Munich are reportedly offered the chance to sign misfiring Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the upcoming transfer window.

Arsenal and Bayern Munich have both been offered the chance to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus this summer, according to a report.

The Serbia international emerged as one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe during the first half of the 2021-22 season, having his 17 goals in 21 Serie A games for Fiorentina.

Arsenal - who had just parted ways with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - were heavily linked with a move for Vlahovic in January 2022, but the 23-year-old snubbed interest from the Gunners to join Juventus in a £71.6m deal.

Since pulling on the Bianconeri jersey, Vlahovic has come up with a respectable 20 goals and six assists in 57 matches for the club, but he has not set the league alight in the manner that he did with Fiorentina.

The striker has posted 11 goals and four assists in 36 outings during the current campaign, but he has failed to find the back of the net in his last 11 Serie A appearances since February's win over Salernitana.

Dusan Vlahovic for Serbia in September 2022 © Reuters

As a result, Massimiliano Allegri has dropped Vlahovic for Juve's most recent two league matches with Napoli and Bologna, giving him just eight minutes off the bench across those two contests.

The Bianconeri have Vlahovic under contract until 2026, but there have been suggestions that the former Partizan Belgrade youngster could be set for an early exit this summer amid his prolonged struggles.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, both Arsenal and Bayern have been offered the chance to sign Vlahovic by his representatives, and Juve would be open to selling for the right price.

A bid of €70m (£61.4m) could apparently be enough for either side to prise Vlahovic away from Juve, who are willing to take a sizeable hit on the £71.6m fee they paid for his services last year.

Juventus are believed to have identified Atalanta BC's Rasmus Hojlund and West Ham United's Gianluca Scamacca as possible replacements for Vlahovic, who could seek an exit if Juventus fail to qualify for European competition for 2023-24.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacts on April 21, 2023 © Reuters

Allegri's side were docked 15 points earlier this year amid an investigation into financial irregularities, but that punishment has since been rescinded, propelling Juve back up to third in the table.

Juve's current standing would guarantee Champions League qualification, but Allegri's side are enduring a miserable spell of form with just one point from their last 12 on offer.

AC Milan, Roma and Inter Milan sit just three points adrift of Juventus, while seventh-placed Atalanta BC have just a five-point gap to make up to Allegri's team with six games left to play.

Arsenal have reinforced their attacking ranks this season with the captures of Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard, while Eddie Nketiah penned a new long-term contract last summer as well.

However, the Gunners could be in the market for a new forward if Folarin Balogun departs this summer, although most of their budget is expected to go towards midfield targets such as Declan Rice.

Meanwhile, Bayern did not sign a direct replacement for Barcelona-bound Robert Lewandowski last year and are also being linked with the likes of Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen and Randal Kolo Muani.