Arsenal reportedly have an initial understanding with Fiorentina over the €80m signing of Dusan Vlahovic, but no agreement with the player.

Di Marzio report that Fiorentina met with Arsenal in recent days to talk about Dusan Vlahovic. The Gunners would be keen to bring the striker in during the January window, and they’re even willing to meet Fiorentina’s €80m asking price (when you include bonuses).

The two clubs have reportedly reached an initial understanding, but without any agreement with the player himself. There’s a suggestion he might want to wait for other offers in the summer.

Fiorentina would prefer to settle Vlahovic’s situation quickly, so they can cash in and find a replacement. They know his contract expires in 2023 and he doesn’t plan to extend, so the sooner the better.

Vlahovic is up to 10 goals for Fiorentina this season and four for Serbia, in 17 games for club and country. He scored a hat-trick for the Serie A side over the weekend. Though it’s worth mentioning that five of those 14 goals were penalties.

The left-footed striker is strong in the air, standing at 6’3″, so he certainly offers something different to Arsenal’s current options.

There’s a fair concern at the fact he doesn’t seem to score a huge number of goals from open play, particularly if he’s going for €80m. But at 21, and with his physical attributes, he certainly looks to have potential.

Arsenal will have watched Vlahovic a few times this season as a result of Lucas Torreira’s loan to Fiorentina. One potential bonus of Vlahovic’s sale is Fiorentina would have the money to take up their option to buy Torreira, avoiding another summer of speculation.