Aston Villa declare interest in Arsenal's wantaway £49m striker target

Aston Villa have reportedly entered the hunt to sign wantaway Juventus centre-forward Dusan Vlahovic alongside a Premier League rival.

Unai Emery is keen to add depth and quality up top following the £67.5 million January departure of Jhon Duran to Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr. Donyell Malen was signed before Duran’s exit so cannot be considered as a replacement and neither Marcus Rashford or Marco Asensio are considered out-and-out strikers by Emery.

Vlahovic, who has been making headlines in Italy for allegedly rejecting new contract offers, is looking increasingly likely to leave Juventus. The 25-year-old’s current deal expires in June 2026, so this summer could be Juve’s last chance to earn back a significant proportion of the £65 million they paid to sign him from Fiorentina in January 2022.

TEAMtalk reports Vlahovic’s agent has been offering his client’s services around to a host of top European clubs, including Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Olympique Marseille and Newcastle United. None of these teams have entertained talks but Villa - also contacted by Vlahovic’s representative - have declared an interest.

Emery - central to Villa’s recruitment alongside president of football operations Monchi and director of football Damian Vidagany - is said to see Vlahovic as a concrete option. The striker, current valued at around €60 million (£49.4m) as per Transfermarkt, has scored four goals in nine Champions League appearances this season.

Villa face strong competition, however, as the report from TEAMtalk states Vlahovic is on Arsenal’s striker shortlist ahead of the summer transfer window. The Serbian is said to be one of Mikel Arteta’s favourite options, alongside RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko.

The Gunners are in desperate need of a new striker, as displayed in recent weeks with midfielder Mikel Merino playing as an auxiliary centre-forward. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are both out for the rest of the season, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have spent a long period on the sidelines, while Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling have struggled for sharpness.

Arsenal tried to sign Vlahovic three years ago but the 32-time Serbia international completed a move to Juventus instead. Arteta could finally secure his man in a few months’ time.

How would Dusan Vlahovic fit in at Aston Villa?

If Vlahovic were to complete a transfer to Villa Park instead, he would have to compete with Ollie Watkins. Emery tried playing two up top while Duran was still at the club but it required a complete overthrow of his preferred tactical shape, disrupting the rhythm.

The most prominent example was perhaps during the second half of the narrow 1-0 defeat away at AS Monaco in the league phase of the Champions League. Duran came on to play alongside Watkins but it ruined Villa’s chances of getting back into the game, instead allowing Monaco to create an overload in midfield.

Emery, visibly angry in the post-match press conference, was furious after that rare blunder and he’ll be keen to avoid such a repeat. Even if Vlahovic is a slightly different profile of player to Duran, playing with two strikers remains incompatible with Emery’s ideas.

Whether Vlahovic would be willing to at times play second fiddle to Watkins awaits to be seen. The attacker’s sky-high wage demands in excess of £200,000 per week could also prove to be an immovable obstacle.