One of the biggest transfer saga’s of the season looks set to end, as Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic is on the verge of completing a move to fellow Serie A side Juventus.
Arsenal ’s chances of signing the striker took a big turn in recent weeks, despite the Serbian having initially insisted he wants to stay in Italy for the remainder of the season.
But as is the case with these situations, things can change quickly, and Vlahovic was set a deadline by the Gunners to make a decision on his future.
Not only that, his own club began to grow frustrated at his lack of decision-making over the course of the month, as they cast doubts over the future of their star player.
Here is the current state of play on Dusan Vlahovic as his chances of joining Arsenal this month look to have come to an end.
Should Arsenal have moved sooner to secure a move for Vlahovic this month? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Current state of play
Despite being linked with Manchester City, Tottenham and Juventus this month, Arsenal were reportedly the only club to have shown a genuine interest in signing the forward in the current transfer window.
That was, however, until Juventus agreed on a £62.8m fee with Fiorentina on Tuesday, and a deal for the Serbian to remain is Serie A seems ever more likely.
An initial setback for all these clubs was that the 21-year-old initially stated his intent to remain with Fiorentina for the rest of the campaign in order to help them qualify for the Champions League next season.
But that is now set to change as the Vlahovic undergoes a medical with the Old Lady.
Ahead of this month, Vlahovic had also yet to decide on his future with his current club, which had begun to frustrate the Serie A side.
Arsenal were said to have already offered £66 million for the Serbian, though Fiorentina deny they'd received any official bid.
The north London club had begun to grow impatient and set a deadline of the middle of this week for Vlahovic to make up his mind.
But with the striker seemingly on his way to Turin with Juventus, all hope is lost in bringing him to the Emirates.
What Fiorentina have said
Talks had been ongoing this month between Arsenal and Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso, but things were moving slowly.
And last week, the Italian club’s sporting director Joe Barone said that no agreement has been reached with any club.
“Some English clubs have made contact with Fiorentina, but there is no agreement,” he told La Nazione.
“The English club want Vlahovic, but evidently he's got other ideas. We're ready to negotiate, but him and his agent won't talk.”
He added: “There have been zero openings from Vlahovic's agent. There has been zero communications [from Vlahovic's camp].
“I had asked for clarity [over the player's plans] and I had told his agent to be clear with us. But there's been no contact on that front.”
State of play
Ahead of Tuesday, Fiorentina seemed happy to sell the player should the right price be agreed with Arsenal, but the problem remained with Vlahovic and his agent refusing to discuss that matter at hand - and Juventus have pipped them to it.
Vlahovic has also tested positive for Covid-19, which made the chances of any deal being sorted with an overseas club seeming even more unlikely.
And that could be one of the main reasons as to why Fiorentina are keen to sell him to Juventus this month, as the striker won't be required to leave the country or risk stalling any negotiations through his self-isolation.
