Arsenal could switch their attention towards Dusan Vlahovic as their chances of landing Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins are currently remote.
According to Caught Offside, Arsenal are eager to land a new striker before the January window closes, as they could switch their attention towards Dusan Vlahovic. The shift in focus could be due to the fact that there are big challenges in their efforts to sign Ollie Watkins, as Benjamin Sesko also mentioned.
Arsenal made their intentions clear on Wednesday when they launched a late bid for Ollie Watkins in the region of £60 million. Aston Villa were undergoing a frantic period when the offer probably came in as it did leave them furious with the Gunners, as they were already negotiating a deal with Al-Nassr to sell Jhon Duran.
With Duran closing in on the switch to Al-Nassr, the chances of selling Watkins have diminished exponentially, despite Arsenal expected to return with a new offer. The idea that Unai Emery’s side sell both their main strikers in the space of a few days, without any clarity on a replacement striker, seems unprecedented.
Arsenal feel Watkins wants to join them, although they are likely to switch their focus towards other stars before the February 3 deadline. The report does name a few alternatives they could sift their attention towards including Benjamin Sesko and Dusan Vlahovic.
The Serbian has been on Mikel Arteta’s list since January 2022, when Arsenal lost out to Juventus. His time in Turin has been dodgy recently. At the same time, the report speculates that the arrival of Randal Kolo Muani may spell the end of the 24-year-old; the signs were already there, even before the Frenchman’s arrival.
Will Arsenal sign Dusan Vlahovic?
Vlahovic’s situation at Juventus aside, there’s a liklihhood for Arsenal to make a late attempt to figure out a potential move for the 24-year-old, who is now probably seen as the top winter target. The idea for Arteta is to have a player in the frontline to take the load off Kai Havertz and replace the injured Gabriel Jesus.
Another report recently mentioned that Arteta would like Sesko over Vlahovic. While the Slovenian might be a preference at this stage, the Serbian s ready availability right now could play a big part. Hence, there’s nothing to rule out a late approach for the Juventus man from the Gunners, which could even be a loan until the end of the season.
