'I never talked to anyone' about Arsenal offer says 29-goal forward

Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for Dusan Vlahovic during the January transfer window. The Serbia international, though, only had eyes for Juventus and did not even entertain talks about the Gunners' interest.

The Gunners and Mikel Arteta were serious in their pursuit and were willing to match Fiorentina's valuation of the player. Vlahovic eventually joined Juventus, and has now revealed that he had no idea about the Premier League club's offer.

The north London club were said to be the frontrunners for his signature, especially since Juventus were unable to meet Fiorentina's valuation. However, in the end, Vlahovic's desire to remain in Italy trumped Arsenal's offer and saw them lose out on their priority striker target.

"Maybe my agent knows [about Arsenal's offer] but I never talked to anyone about it," Vlahovic told The Telegraph.

"I just had one club in my mind because Juventus is Juventus. There is nothing else to say. And now I feel honoured to be given this jersey. It's incredible every time I put it on."

"I definitely identify with their DNA. The Juventus personality coincides with my personality. When you come here you never give up, you fight all the time, you make the sacrifices. This was definitely what I was looking for," he added.

Vlahovic was responding to Antonio Cassano's claim that the Serbia international made a sensational mistake by turning down a move to England. The former Italy international feels the former Fiorentina marksman is a "second-tier" player and not suited to Juventus.

"In my opinion [Vlahovic's decision] is sensationally wrong. For the type of player I think he is, he needed to make an intermediate step to a team like Arsenal, Tottenham, or Sevilla, who signed [Anthony] Martial. For me, you know, he has always been a second-tier player," Cassano said, as quoted by The Mirror.

"I don't see him as a player for Juve. He is a Serbian, a particular character, I don't see him fitting in well with Juve's dressing room, that's the opinion I have."

Vlahovic ended the 2021-22 campaign with 29 goals in all competitions, of which eight of them were with Juventus in 22 games. The Serbian marksman is very highly-rated within the club, and is expected to lead the line when the new season gets underway.