15 June 2023 , 20:30
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Dusan Vlahovic was once one of the most in-demand players in all of European football before he joined Italian giants Juventus in the January transfer window of 2022.
The Serbian international was greatly admired by Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, who were keen on prying him away from Fiorentina to have Vlahovic replace the departed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Alas, it wasn't to be as he opted to stay in Serie A and try his hand with the Old Lady.
While he has hardly set the world alight when donning the famous black and white shirt, Vlahovic still has a healthy list of suitors. The 23-year-old finished last season as Juventus' top scorer, though his 14 goals across all competitions marked a steep a drop-off from the 29 he bagged for Juve and Fiorentina the previous campaign.
Shortly after his switch to Juventus was confirmed, Vlahovic was immediately questioned by Italian football icon Antonio Cassano, who was adamant the young striker had made a mistake by not testing himself in the Premier League.
He told Bobo TV: "In my opinion [Vlahovic's decision] is sensationally wrong. For the type of player, I think he is 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.
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"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.
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Dusan Vlahovic has been linked with a move to Man Utd (Getty Images)"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."
A year-and-a-half later, Vlahovic appears to make Cassano right and is ready to call time on his Juventus stay amid speculation linking the striker with a move to Manchester United.
According to Relevo, Juventus are open to listening to offers for both Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa as the club aim to generate funds after missing out on Champions League qualification last term.
United had initially harboured hopes of securing Harry Kane's signature, but with Spurs' asking price too high in the eyes of those running the show at Old Trafford, Vlahovic is seemingly viewed as a suitable back-up plan.
It is believed that given his desire to leave Turin, Vlahovic is open to the idea of plying his trade in the red half of Manchester.