Mikel Arteta knows next Arsenal transfer decision amid ‘revive’ £67m claim

Arsenal are hoping to finally secure the signature of a £67m striker that they missed out on in January 2022, according to reports. The North London side are unbeaten in the Premier League with six victories and three draws from their opening nine games but many pundits including Ian Wright and Roy Keane believe they lack the clinical centre forward that is needed to win the title.

Mikel Arteta’s side currently have the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus at their disposal, but the trio have only scored a combined four goals between them in nine league appearances. This has led to speculation over a move for a centre forward in the winter and one player who could potentially fill the role is Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic.

Italian publication Tutto Juve states that Arsenal still have a strong interest in the striker, which has not gone away since their failed transfer move over 18 months ago. Vlahovic, who started his career in Serbia with Partizan Belgrade, rose to prominence between 2018 and 2022 when he enjoyed a prolific run of form for Fiorentina in Serie A.

The 2020/21 season proved to be Vlahovic’s breakout year and he scored an impressive 21 goals from 37 league appearances. He carried this form into the following campaign with 17 goals in 21 appearances, this prompted huge attention from Arsenal who battled Juventus for his signature in January 2022.

Vlahovic opted to remain in Italy at the time and made the move to The Old Lady for a fee of £66m. He went on to finish as one of the league’s top scorers with seven goals in his first 15 appearances.

The Serbian striker’s form has been steady but unspectacular since making the move to Turin and last season he finished with 10 goals in 27 appearances. However, the striker, who idolises Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has shown signs of promise this season with four goals in his opening seven games this term.

Vlahovic offers many of the assets that Arsenal lack in attack and he is blessed with excellent heading ability and the hold up play to bring others into the game. The 6ft3 forward is viewed as a goal poacher and he also boasts a strong international record of 13 goals in 23 appearances and has formed an excellent partnership with Alexander Mitrovic at international level.