Arsenal have been told that Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic “lives for goals” as a potential loan move to replace injured Gabriel Jesus heats up.
Those words of praise came from his teammate Teun Koopmeiners after the Serbian bagged a brace in a 3-0 win over Genoa earlier this season. After establishing himself as one of Europe's most feared young strikers at Fiorentina, Vlahovic earned a £66m (€78m) move to the Italian giants in 2022 despite interest from Arsenal.
Although he has a respectable goalscoring record in Turin, with 53 goals in 124 appearances, he hasn't exactly set the world on fire since his big-money move. Reports once again linking him with a move to North London have gained momentum thanks to PSG's Randal Kolo Muani moving closer to a move to Juventus this month.
It appears the Frenchman will sign a temporary contract with the Bianconeri and that could mean the possible departure of Vlahovic, who leads Juventus' top scorer list this season with 12 goals in 23 games in all competitions. It would provide the clearest path yet to his signature.
His arrival would add much-needed firepower to Arsenal's attacking options. Mikel Arteta is currently without Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri and now Jesus after suffering a torn cruciate ligament against Manchester United.
Vlahovic has received plenty of praise from his teammates, with Koopmeiners explaining how much the Serbian international enjoys putting the ball in the back of the net. “I am very happy with the victory [against Genoa]. He deserves the goal, he works hard for the team. He is a very strong striker and lives for goals,” said the Dutch international, TMW reported.
Vlahovic apparently took aim at Juve boss Thiago Motta in November when he was on international duty as he implicitly expressed his displeasure at the way he is being used at club level.
“Yes, I like to play with another striker on the side,” the striker told RSI after Serbia's Nations League match against Switzerland. “I get along well, but it also depends on the coach. It's definitely a little easier because [Aleksandar] Mitrovic is a strong player who often plays with his back to the goal and engages in aerial duels and I can use my qualities.
“It's also because coach Dragan Stojkovic didn't force me to do so many defensive tasks. And for a player like me, for my frame, I honestly can't run that much. Because then I won't be fresh in the final third. ” “
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