Fiorentina director Joe Barone has claimed that Dusan Vlahovic needs to sign a new contract if he is not planning on leaving the club.
Vlahovic is currently one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe and Tottenham are one of the clubs credited with an interest in the striker.
However, over the last week, Spurs’ North London rivals Arsenal have emerged as the leading contenders to snap up the 21-year-old this month.
Football.London have claimed that Arsenal director Edu is ‘doing everything possible’ to bring the Fiorentina star to the Emirates.
Meanwhile, CBS Sport have reported that the Gunners are the ‘most active suitors’ to sign Vlahvovic this month, although they added that Spurs remain in the race for the Serbian, who is said to be a fan of Antonio Conte.
Barone has admitted that Fiorentina are now waiting for a response from Vlahovic’s representatives over his future.
He told SportMediaset (as relayed by Football Italia and Fabrizio Romano): “There is talk about Dusan Vlahovic every day now. We just want to talk about the squad.
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“We’ve already said so much about him, we expect a response from him and his entourage on what the future holds. We have our plans and we are activating those immediately.”
According to reports, interested clubs will have to shell out a total of £150m in transfer fee, wages and agent fees to snap up Vlahvoic this month but Arsenal are allegedly not put off by the fee.
When asked if there is truth to the reported fee, Barone responded: “I can only talk about what we discussed. Obviously, when last time Rocco Commisso (Fiorentina owner) was here, the figures were almost doubled, we couldn’t talk about it.
“I had a long conversation with Dusan the other day and I told him we need to understand his path. If he wants to stay at Fiorentina, then sign the contract. If he wants to leave, then say so publicly.
“He can’t string an entire club, city and fanbase along waiting for him. From what I heard, he is not prepared to speak out, so we have to make our decision within the club.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It sounds like Fiorentina are keen to cash in on Vlahvoic this month if he does not intend on signing a new contract as they would be able to get a bigger fee for him now than in the summer.
Based on the reports over the last two weeks, it appears like Arsenal are the club ready to meet the Serie A club’s asking price for the 21-year-old. The decision might now rest with Vlahovic himself.
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