Manchester City have received a major transfer blow with key target Dusan Vlahovic having informed Fiorentina that he wants Juventus to be his next club, 90min understands.
The defending champions have been linked with the Serbian international ever since Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland’s future has become uncertain amid speculations that the Norwegian wants a move to Spain. Real Madrid are currently said to be the front runners to sign the Bundesliga sensation.
Vlahovic, 21, is considered as one of the top strikers in world football currently after netting the ball a record 69 times in 2021, on level with Manchester United’s Christiano Ronaldo for the second place for most goals scored in a year. Only Lionel Messi with 91 goals is ahead of the two.
Fiorentina have an offer worth in excess of €60 million on the table from Arsenal, while they were also aware that several other English clubs like Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham are all following the Serbian striker closely.
However, Juventus have now emerged as Vlahovic’s preferred destination and that decision has unsurprisingly angered La Viola, the source adds. That does make sense after Fiorentina have made it clear they did not want to sell the 21-year-old to a direct rival in Juventus, who have a history of taking their crucial players at a bare minimum.
The most recent big deal between both the parties saw Federico Chiesa move to Juventus in 2020 on a two-year loan with the Turin giants having the option to buy him for less than £50 million. This tactic certainly prompted Fiorentina’s president Rocco Commisso to accuse them of ‘stealing’ the 24-year-old, the source concludes.
La Viola are certainly not in favour of selling another top prospect to Juve and would rather prefer Vlahovic to opt for a Premier League switch. In that scenario Manchester City certainly emerge as the favourites with their financial muscle coming into play. Given the fact that joining the Skyblues would guarantee Champions League football and the missing silverware in the Serbian’s cabinet would propel City head and shoulders above the other teams in contention for the 21-year-old.
Where do you reckon Vlahovic will be at the end of this summer or in an interesting turn of events, this winter?
Let us know.