Arsenal must avoid repeating the mistake they made in their failure to sign Eden Hazard in 2012 with Dusan Vlahovic this month.
Hazard was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal prior to joining Chelsea, but a possible deal fell through after the Gunners were not willing to meet the player's agent demands.
That seems to be a similar case with the Vlahovic situation, as the main sticking point in securing the signature of the Serbian striker is due to the requests of his agent.
However, Arsenal have a great opportunity to accept the agent fees this time around thanks to the possible sale of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, which could help Edu overcome this hurdle.
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Arsenal and Fiorentina are happy to agree on a fee for the striker, but the deal is dependent on the player and the agent.
Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has claimed the Gunners will need to pay an £8.3 million commission fee to the player’s agent, which is certainly an expensive amount that Arsenal have not been accustomed to agree on in the past.
This is made even more expensive by the fact that the club must reportedly be willing to shell out a deal totalling £150 million, with Vlahovic demanding £160,000-a-week in order to seal the move, according to the Daily Mail.
Despite this, the transfer could be funded by Aubameyang, as reports in England have claimed that Arsenal have received a loan offer for the 32-year-old from Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr that includes an obligation to buy for around £7 million.
This sale would fund the majority of the £8.3 million agent fee that Vlahovic’s representative is demanding, and Arsenal would see a lot of pressure released from the wage bill with Aubameyang said to be earning around £300,000-a-week.
Arsenal must avoid repeating the same mistake when they missed out on Hazard, as the Belgian turned out to be one of the Premier League’s all-time greatest players, and with the potential of Vlahovic, there is a possibility that he could turn out to be one of the best strikers to play in the English game.
The Gunners are in desperate need of a striker due to the current uncertainty surrounding many players in the attacking position.
Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette’s contracts run out at the end of the season. Meanwhile, it appears Aubameyang could also be on his way out of the club.
The latest development with the Gabon international gives Arsenal an extra incentive to bite the bullet and pay the excessive agent fees to secure the signature of Vlahovic.
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