Arsenal and Chelsea prepare for ‘Battle of London’ for Serie A star

Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly ‘ready to unleash’ a bid to tempt Juventus into selling striker Dusan Vlahovic.

The Serbian international joined Juve from Serie A rivals Fiorentina last January in a £71m deal and made an immediate impact scoring nine goals and providing two assists in 21 appearances in all competitions. He has carried some of that momentum into the current season with a further seven goals but injury problems limited his appearances, with a groin issue seeing the striker miss Juve’s final four games prior to the break for the World Cup Finals.

Despite his injury problems, Vlahovic was named in the Serbia squad for the tournament but he made just two appearances in Qatar, scoring in a 3-2 defeat against Switzerland as his side exited the competition at the group stage. Now back in Italy, Vlahovic will hope to rediscover his form and fitness when Juventus return to Serie A action with a visit to relegation threatened Cremonese next week.

Speaking recently about the striker, Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri said: “Dusan has started a rehabilitation course for an issue that hasn’t disappeared, even during the World Cup. We just hope to have him back as soon as possible.”

However, Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport have now claimed the striker is still working on a ‘personalised work program’ and is ‘waiting to return to the group’ ahead of the game at the Giovanni Zini Stadium. More intriguingly, the report also suggests Vlahovic has significant interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, who are sat to be considering a summer move for the 22-year-old frontman, with no ‘sensational shocks in sight’ during the January transfer window.

The report also names Arsenal and Chelsea are interested parties, with the Premier League duo ready to engage in a Battle of London for the former Partizan striker.