16 June 2023 , 09:57
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Manchester United have been put on alert after Juventus made striker Dusan Vlahovic available for sale this summer.
Arsenal pushed hard to sign Vlahovic from Fiorentina in January 2022, only for the Serbia international to instead choose Juve. He snubbed the Gunners and join the Italian giants in a £66million move and put pen to paper on a four-year contract.
That move came amid the striker’s scoring hot streak for Fiorentina, for whom he bagged 38 league goals in a season-and-a-half of Serie A action. That heightened his transfer fee and made him in high-demand, with Arsenal initially identifying him as a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Vlahovic has struggled to replicate that form in Turin since his switch. He has netted a respectable 23 goals in 63 appearances for the Bianconeri but he has suffered from an absence of sustained form and fitness, suffering multiple hamstring injuries over the past year.
Juve are open to cashing-in on the striker this summer, according to Relevo, after missing out on Champions League football next season and feeling a need to cut back on their outgoings as their financial situation becomes more strained.
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United boss Erik ten Hag is on red alert to sign a central striker this summer but the club have opted against pursuing a move for Harry Kane as they do not believe Spurs will sell, much less to a direct Premier League rival. That has led to other options being assessed, with Vlahovic among those who may be an option.
Vlahovic has been linked with a move to Man Utd (Getty Images)Have Your Say! Should Man Utd look to sign Vlahovic this summer? Tell us what you think here.
Vlahovic’s struggles at Juve were prophesied by former Italy international Antonio Cassano, who believed that the Serbian was not at the top level. Cassano even compared him to Anthony Martial, who joined Sevilla on an unsuccessful loan spell in the same month Vlahovic joined Juve.
Cassano told Bobo TV : "In my opinion [Vlahovic's decision] is sensationally wrong. For the type of player, I think he is 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 15-20 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."
United are prioritising the signing of a starting central striker this summer with Wout Weghorst's loan spell to expire at the end of the campaign ensuring that Martial is the only remaining recognised central striker in the squad.