Manchester City lead race to sign Dusan Vlahovic

Manchester City are reportedly the front-runners in the race to sign the highly sought-after Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic in January.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Manchester City are at the top of the queue to capture the services of Serie A goalscoring machine Dusan Vlahovic.

Atletico Madrid fought tooth and nail to sign the Serbia international last summer, but their €55m bid fell short of Fiorentina’s €70m valuation for their prized asset. 

Instead of upping their offer, Los Colchoneros went on to purchase Matheus Cunha from Hertha BS for just over €30m before bringing Antoine Griezmann from Barcelona on a two-year loan.

Meanwhile, Man City were vying for Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane throughout the entire summer, but they never came close to matching Spurs’ £160m asking price.

The reigning Premier League champions were ready to fork out around £100m to get the deal over the line. However, Tottenham’s reluctance to budge on their valuation blew the Etihad outfit out of the water.

Known as a tough negotiator, Spurs supremo Daniel Levy has made it clear he is not interested in lowering his demands for Kane, who has endured an underwhelming start to the season.

Therefore, Man City are exploring other options, and they seem to have identified Vlahovic as their new number one target for the upcoming transfer window.

Since Federico Chiesa’s departure for Juventus in summer 2020, the 21-year-old has soaked up the limelight as Fiorentina’s headline performer and one of Serie A’s deadliest strikers.

Vlahovic has tallied 25 goals in Italy’s top-flight since the start of last season en route to earning a reputation as one of the most exciting up-and-coming forwards in European football.

Pep Guardiola is aware his side lack an out-and-out striker to lead the line following Sergio Aguero’s move to Barcelona in the summer.

Therefore, the Spaniard is ready to splash the cash to reinforce his attacking department, and Vlahovic looks like an intriguing prospect.