According to an Italian outlet TuttoJuve, Arsenal and Chelsea are open to paying £70 million to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
Last summer, the Serbian player was strongly linked with a departure from Juventus, with talks of a potential move to Chelsea as part of a deal for Romelu Lukaku, although the transfer didn’t happen due to differences in valuation.
Nonetheless, the rumours regarding Vlahovic’s future continue, and now it’s suggested that both Arsenal and Chelsea have expressed interest in securing his services.
Both London clubs might be ready to offer £70m for the 23-year-old, but this sum may not be sufficient to convince Juventus to sell.
The Serie A giants could potentially demand as much as £87m for the striker, who has had an excellent start to the season, making negotiations likely to be challenging.
The Italian giants are presently in the process of arranging contract discussions with Vlahovic in light of his impressive performance.
Chelsea had an opportunity to acquire the Serbian ace in a deal involving Lukaku, but they opted against it, a decision that appears to be justified.
Vlahovic had a challenging 2022-23 season marked by injuries and poor form, as he only scored 14 goals in all competitions for Juventus.
While the youngster has made a promising start to the current season with four goals in six games, he is currently sidelined with a back injury.
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His recent injury history serves as a warning for potential suitors, and it’s unlikely that Chelsea or Arsenal would be willing to invest £87 million in him.
Rather than pursuing Vlahovic, Chelsea and Arsenal may shift their attention to Ivan Toney of Brentford, who could be acquired for a lower fee.
Toney is currently serving an eight-month suspension for violating FA betting regulations but will be eligible to play again from January 17.
He has begun training with Brentford and even scored in a behind-closed-doors friendly match. With his established Premier League scoring record, he is considered a more promising signing than Vlahovic, who has faced injury issues for some time.
