Dusan Vlahovic followed Federico Chiesa and Manuel Locatelli in snubbing Arsenal, joining Juventus despite a better offer from the Gunners.
The 21-year-old is on the verge of completing a €75m move to the Allianz Stadium. He has already agreed personal terms with the Old Lady and his agent will be in Turin today to finalise the deal.
However, Vlahovic tested positive for COVID last week, so he hasn’t yet been given the green light to travel to Turin to undergo his medicals.
Announcement, medical and last meeting: latest on Vlahovic to Juventus
The Serbia international snubbed a move to Arsenal and refused to listen to offers from Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, becoming the third Juventus player to reject a move to the Emirates Stadium before joining Juventus.
The Gunners tried to sign both Chiesa and Locatelli in the last year and a half but failed to convince both players to move to London.
Arsenal were ready to sign them on permanent deals, while Juventus acquired the Italy internationals on loan with an obligation to buy, making the most of Chiesa and Locatelli’s decision to sign for them.
Chiesa moved to Turin from Fiorentina in 2020 on an initial €10m loan with an obligation to buy for €40m and a further €10m in add-ons.
Locatelli arrived in Turin via Sassuolo one year later in a two-season loan deal with an obligation to buy for €25m plus €12.5m add-ons. Arsenal had offered €40m to sign him permanently.
The formula for Vlahovic’s transfer is still unclear, but Juventus will likely invest a small sum in January, paying the remaining of his transfer fee over the next few years.
Once again, Arsenal were ready to sign the player permanently, paying in a few instalments, but Vlahovic only wanted Juventus.
The Old Lady’s prestige and the possibility to play Champions League football made the difference, not to mention that both Locatelli and Vlahovic are Juventus fans.