Dusan Vlahović keeping everyone guessing amid transfer saga

MILAN (AP) — No participant is creating extra hypothesis and rumors on this January switch window than Fiorentina ahead Dušan Vlahović.

Thus far, although, the Serbia worldwide is maintaining everybody — together with Fiorentina — guessing about his subsequent vacation spot.

At 21, Vlahović is already amongst Serie A’s most prolific scorers. However he solely has 18 months left on his contract and has advised Fiorentina he is not going to signal an extension, which means the membership might determine to money in on its largest expertise. A number of of Europe’s largest golf equipment are already circling, with Juventus and Arsenal amongst these closely linked with a right away transfer for Vlahović.

“He’s essentially the most fascinating participant in the intervening time in Italian soccer,“ former Juventus and England coach Fabio Capello mentioned.

Juventus has struggled to interchange Cristiano Ronaldo since his transfer to Manchester United within the offseason and scored solely 34 objectives this season — fewer than any of the highest 10 groups within the Italian league, other than Torino.

Vlahović might be the right participant to vary that, having simply matched Ronaldo’s feat of scoring 33 Serie objectives in a calendar yr.

“He can be the appropriate man for the crew for now and for the long run, his age and his technical skills, he has every little thing,” Capello mentioned. “He can be an ideal alternative.”

Fiorentina reportedly need 70 million euros for Vlahović, who's out of contract in 2023. Nonetheless, Vlahović is aware of he would possibly get much more enticing gives if he waits till the tip of the season, and has mentioned he desires to take Fiorentina again into Europe.

So the membership appears to be anticipating the ahead to make up his thoughts about whether or not to remain or go.

“We haven’t obtained any gives in the intervening time, however we’re open to something,“ Fiorentina director Joe Barone mentioned earlier than Sunday’s match at Cagliari. ”We would like readability from his half. From him and his agent.”

Fiorentina's Dusan Vlahovic, proper, celebrates after scoring in the course of the Italian Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Genoa on the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Firenze, Italy, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022.

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Vlahović was not a part of the squad that performed Cagliari on Sardinia, amid stories that he is without doubt one of the two Fiorentina gamers out with the coronavirus. With out him, Fiorentina struggled to a 1-1 draw in opposition to the relegation-threatened facet.

Fiorentina didn't identify the gamers who had examined optimistic for COVID-19 however it's unlikely that Vlahović would have been dropped even regardless of the continued switch saga, which has been rumbling on since even earlier than coach Vincenzo Italiano joined within the offseason.

“It’s been months and months that we’ve been speaking concerning the Vlahović state of affairs,” Italiano mentioned. “And he continues to be knowledgeable. He continues to attain objectives.

“Does it annoy me that we’re speaking about it on a regular basis? It could begin to annoy me provided that Vlahović stopped doing his job, and goes out onto the sphere not totally targeted.”

Vlahović has proven no signal that every one the switch discuss is attending to him. He has scored 20 objectives in 24 matches in all competitors for Fiorentina this season and is joint prime of the Serie A scoring charts, together with Lazio’s Ciro Motionless.

“Dusan Vlahović continues to amaze. Final yr he was the most effective younger participant in Serie A, this yr he's dwelling as much as nice expectations by proving himself to be the most effective gamers this season,” Lega Serie A chief government Luigi De Siervo mentioned after Vlahović was named the league’s participant of the month for December.

“Bodily power, approach, a spirit of sacrifice and an ideal sense of aim make him one of the vital full forwards round.”

Off the sphere, nevertheless, the saga continues to rumble on and Barone fumed just lately that Vlahović and his agent had requested for double his wage of their final assembly.

However the Serbia worldwide has all the time insisted he's not pushed by cash.

“Cash isn't an important factor on the earth,” Vlahović mentioned. “One thing else has introduced me success.

“I need that when in the future I cease taking part in soccer, folks point out my identify and say: ‘Vlahović was a very good footballer.’”

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