Barcelona could have signed 19-goal striker for €18 million in 2020 | OneFootball

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Barca Universal

·15 January 2022

Barcelona could have signed 19-goal striker for €18 million in 2020

Article image:Barcelona could have signed 19-goal striker for €18 million in 2020

Barcelona were gifted an opportunity to sign in-form striker Dusan Vlahovic for a heavily discounted price in the summer of 2020, but the club sensationally decided to opt out of the negotiation.

According to MARCA, former director of football, Eric Abidal, met with Vlahovic’s agent, Darko Ristic, and the latter proposed a loan move for the 2020/21 season with an obligation to buy for €18 million the following year.


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As it turns out, though, Barca had their doubts regarding Vlahovic’s capabilities since the striker had only scored six goals in the 2019/20 football season. The decision has rightly backfired for Barça as the 21-year-old is now one of the most in-demand players in entire Europe.

The COVID-hit 2020/21 Serie A season saw the best of Vlahovic as he went on to score 21 goals in 37 outings. His form has continued in the ongoing season too, with the striker netting 19 times in 22 outings across all competitions so far.

Vlahovic’s stock has risen to the extent that he is being eyed by several big clubs across the continent. On top of it, his transfer valuation has surged to somewhere between €70-80 million. Fiorentina will supposedly not consider any offer below these figures.

One name that has been doing rounds around the Serbian is Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. The aforementioned source says the Gunners have expressed a profound interest in signing the 21-year-old and are ready to pay €70 million for his services.

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On the other hand, back in December, it was reported that although Erling Haaland remains Barcelona’s priority, they will try to go for Vlahovic in case they hit a roadblock in signing the Norwegian.

Meanwhile, as far as Vlahovic is concerned, any kind of deal is likely to happen on Fiorentina’s terms. And with interest rising, the Italians will have the leverage of getting the best deal from the buyers’ market despite the striker being on the last 18 months of his contract.

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