Exclusive: Arsenal preparing January move for €70m-rated front man that’s made Pep Guardiola’s life a misery | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta would appear to be in the market for a new striker, and is set to make a move for €70m-rated Dusan Vlahovic in the January transfer window.

The Gunners continue to be linked with the 24-year-old from Juventus, and CaughtOffside sources indicate that Arteta wants to make a splash in the new year to help Arsenal during the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.

Arsenal want Dusan Vlahovic in January

It’s understood that the Spaniard believes that the Serbian hit-man would be the perfect striker for the way in which his team are playing currently.

Indeed, the expansive and sometimes direct football seen by the Gunners is a joy to watch until the final third – when there’s often no one to put the ball in the net.

Having a striker that knows where the goal is will arguably elevate Arsenal’s chances of being in the mix for silverware at the end of the season.

Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match against Manchester City. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

At present they find themselves six points behind Premier League leaders, Liverpool, but the Reds have a game in hand and aren’t dropping too many points.

It will take a monumental effort to catch Arne Slot’s side whilst they’re in such form, but if any team can put a bit of pressure on, you never know what could happen.

Arteta only needs to remind his players of the way that Newcastle choked back in the 1990s, when they were, at one stage, 11 points ahead of Manchester United.

Sources have further advanced that the Gunners won’t get things their own way in January, however.

That’s because all of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City are monitoring Vlahovic’s situation.

Pep Guardiola will have seen up close the damage that Vlahovic can do, after he helped Juve topple City in the Champions League this week.

The Bianconeri want to keep the player, whose contract runs until 2026, however, if a new contract agreement can’t be reached quickly, the club will consider selling him.

The transfer fee in January would therefore be around the €70m mark.