Dusan Vlahovic reportedly remains committed to Juventus, despite interest from Arsenal ahead of the January transfer window.
The Gunners pushed hard to sign Vlahovic from Fiorentina in January 2021, only for the Serbia international to choose Juve. He snubbed Arsenal, joined the Italian giants in a £66million move and signed a four-year contract.
The interest in Vlahovic came after he netted 49 goals in 108 games for Fiorentina. He is yet to hit such heights with Juve, but has still scored 16 goals in 36 appearances for the Old Lady so far.
Nevertheless, speculation has returned less than a year after his transfer, with Arsenal and Manchester United among the Premier League clubs considering a move.
Italian outlet Tuttosport says Vlahovic is ‘under close observation’ from Arsenal and sporting director Edu is currently ‘evaluating’ whether to make a move.
Arsenal will be without Gabriel Jesus for the next few months at least after their star striker was injured during Brazil’s World Cup campaign. They are on the lookout for replacements in January and are reportedly weighing up a return to Vlahovic.
They may struggle to tempt him to leave Juve after just a year, however. The 22-year-old is reportedly focused on getting back to full fitness after the World Cup break and is happy to resist the Premier League allure, dubbed ‘the land of temptation’.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Arsenal sign Dusan Vlahovic? Comment below.
That stance backs up his comments in the summer about Arsenal’s interest. "Maybe my agent knows [about Arsenal's offer] but I never talked to anyone about it," Vlahovic 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."
Transfer interest in Vlahovic comes amid turbulent times at Juventus, who were rocked by the resignation of their entire board last month. The club is under investigation by the Turin Public Prosecutor's Office, who are looking into alleged false accounting and market manipulation.
Juventus registered a record loss of £219m (€254m) for the 2021/22 season and have already been knocked out of the Champions League in the current campaign. They are third in Serie A, 10 points adrift of leaders Napoli.
Vlahovic has six goals in 10 league appearances this season, but has struggled to stay fit. He has been battling a groin injury recently and only made two substitute appearances for Serbia at the World Cup in Qatar.
