According to Corriere dello Sport, Arsenal seriously thought about moving for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in January and could make an approach this summer.
The Gunners were initially interested in landing the Serbian from Fiorentina in January last year but he snubbed them to join Juventus for £66.6 million.
The 22-year-old has since experienced a mixed spell with short-term injuries but he has still registered 25 goal contributions from just 43 appearances.
It is now reported that the Gunners ‘strongly thought’ about signing Vlahovic last month, but they did not make a formal approach during the transfer window.
The club have been touted to return for him at the end of the season and it is claimed that they will have to pay at least £79m to convince Juventus to sell.
The Bianconeri have identified Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund as his potential replacement.
Arsenal should target Hojlund over Vlahovic
Vlahovic is no doubt a gifted striker but the Gunners should not reconsider a transfer approach for him, considering he had no desire of joining the club last year.
Arsenal should attract more high-profile stars with their return to the Champions League next term but they should stay away from Vlahovic and his troublesome agent.
Darko Ristic was instrumental in taking Vlahovic to the Bianconeri and it has recently been reported by AS that he wants his client to move to Real Madrid in the summer.
In our view, Arsenal should not be second-choice for any striker target. The Gunners could be better off focusing on the highly-rated Hojlund, who plays for Atalanta.
The 20-year-old could be available for £44 million this summer. His playing style has been compared to Erling Haaland. He would be a superb long-term signing for the club.
If a new striker were to arrive, it is most likely that one of Eddie Nketiah or Folarin Balogun could be shown the exit door. The other alternative could be to loan out Balogun again.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
