Dusan Vlahovic says his heart was always set on joining Juventus in January and insists he “never talked to anyone” about Arsenal’s interest.
The Gunners made the then-Fiorentina striker their No1 target in the January transfer window as Mikel Arteta sought reinforcements, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang exiled.
The Gabon forward was eventually released from his contract and allowed to join Barcelona as a free agent, but Arsenal failed to replace him, with Vlahovic instead joining Juve in a deal worth around €75million (£64m).
Arteta continued with Alexandre Lacazette as his senior centre-forward but the Frenchman scored just once in the Premier League after the turn of they year and lost his place to Eddie Nketiah during the run-in, with a lack of goals seen as one of the key factors in the Gunners eventually missing out on a top-four finish.
“Maybe my agent knows [about Arsenal’s offer] but I never talked to anyone about it," Vlahovic, who has scored nine goals in his first 21 appearances for the Old Lady, told The Telegraph.
”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 striker search is continuing this summer, with Lacazette having joined former club Lyon at the end of this contract, making at least one arrival an absolute necessity. Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus is Arteta’s leading target, while talks are ongoing over a new contract for Nketiah, whose current deal is up.
