Arsenal suffer transfer blow as Dusan Vlahovic opens talks on new Juventus contract
ARSENAL transfer target Dusan Vlahovic has confirmed that he wants to stay at Juventus.
The striker has been on Mikel Arteta's radar for the last two years.
Arsenal launched an attempt to sign him in January 2022, but he instead decided to join Juventus in a £62million transfer and has since scored 28 goals in 75 appearances.
Vlahovic has been heavily linked with a move away from Turin in recent months amid the club's financial issues.
However, the 23-year-old recently told that he has no intention to leave.
He said: "I didn’t experience it as a different summer from the others, from my point of view nothing happened.
Read More on Arsenal
"I have always been focused and calm, even during the tour in America, when I missed the match against AC Milan due to a physical problem. I have always been calm.
"I was always sure I wanted to stay. The noises are always there, and they are part of the game, if we start listening to everyone, we can go crazy.
"I isolated myself and only thought about the retreat and in the end I’m very happy I stayed. It was what I wanted."
Arsenal were reportedly considering the possibility of signing the striker in January, with Chelsea also interested.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS - BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES
Some clubs in Saudi Arabia also allegedly considered a swoop.
Juventus currently value Vlahovic at £86m - £24m more than they initially paid for him.
His current contract expires in June 2026.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea are also understood to be interested in signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
However, he will likely cost a Premier League record fee of £120m at least.