Arsenal missed out on a big-money move for a striker who is a free agent this summer
Dusan Vlahovic is set to become a free agent this month – four-and-a-half years after snubbing Arsenal in favour of Juventus.
The 26-year-old striker will leave Juventus on June 30, having failed to reach an agreement over a new contract after meeting with club officials for crunch talks over his future. The Serbia international’s salary demands were greater than what the club was willing to pay, ending his spell in Turin.
Vlahovic scored 68 goals in 168 games for Juventus, including 10 this season in 23 games across all competitions during an injury-riddled 2025/26 campaign. Despite those stats, it has been a frustrating few years for both club and player as Vlahovic showed flashes of quality but failed to deliver on a consistent basis.
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That justified the brutal comments from Antonio Cassano back when Vlahovic chose Juventus over Arsenal in a high-profile £66million transfer from Fiorentina in January 2022. He had been heavily linked with a move to north London that same month and Arsenal even made an offer of £50m plus Lucas Torreira, which was rejected by Fiorentina.
Despite being at the top of Mikel Arteta’s transfer wishlist after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the club, Vlahovic signed a four-year deal with the Old Lady and spoke openly about how Arsenal were never an option for him.
That decision was slammed by Cassano, who believed he was “sensationally wrong” to not move to the Emirates. The former Italy star claimed it was less of a step up at Arsenal and therefore easier to settle in, given the rebuild Arteta’s men were going through. Ironically, Juventus failed to win a single Scudetto while Vlahovic was there, while Arsenal have become European powerhouses.
Cassano told Bobo TV: “In my opinion [Vlahovic’s decision] is sensationally wrong. For the type of player, I think he needed to make an intermediate step to a team like Arsenal, Tottenham, or Sevilla, who signed [Anthony] Martial. For me, you know, he has always been a second-tier player.
“This is a huge step for him, playing with Fiorentina is another thing. For him, it is a very important step, but above all it’s risky. For Juve, it is not enough to do what you did at Fiorentina.
“It’s not enough to score 15 goals, 20 goals. At Juve, every match must be decisive. It’s a dangerous weight on him. He had to take the next step, but not two steps, at Juve you have to score at least 30 goals per season and you have to take home the performances and titles.
“I don’t see him as a player for Juve. He is a Serbian, a particular character, I don’t see him fitting in well with Juve’s dressing room, that’s the opinion I have.”
It is still unclear which club will sign Vlahovic on a free transfer this summer, though he still has plenty of suitors. Napoli, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Newcastle and Barcelona have all been linked with the Serb.
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