Exclusive: Arsenal and Chelsea boost in £70m striker battle, club will sell if he doesn't take pay cut

Premier League giants Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United remain interested in Dusan Vlahovic with Juventus planning to sell Serie A’s best-paid player unless he agrees a new contract in the coming weeks.

• Exclusive from Graeme Bailey

On a day in which Mikel Arteta’s Gunners misfired once again, a 1-1 draw at London neighbours Fulham means Arsenal have won just three of their last eight league games. Five of the 13 goals they have scored in that run, meanwhile, came in the first-half against a horrific West Ham United backline.

And with neither Kai Havertz nor substitute Gabriel Jesus seemingly possessing the consistency required in the number nine role, the clamour for Arsenal to bring in a genuine centre-forward at some point in 2025 will continue to grow.

TBR understands that Arsenal are watching Alexander Isak’s situation at Newcastle United closely. The Magpies are struggling to tie the Swede down to a new deal. Sporting Lisbon talisman Viktor Gyokeres has admirers at the Emirates too, alongside Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig.

But with Dusan Vlahovic reaching a fork-in-the-road moment in his Juventus career, Arsenal – as well as Manchester United and Chelsea – will be keeping tabs on developments over in Turin too.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in Dusan Vlahovic race

TBR have been told that Arsenal are huge admirers of Vlahovic. They tried to bring him to North London, after all, before the Serb completed a £70 million switch from Fiorentina to Juventus three years ago next month.

Chelsea are continuing to monitor Vlahovic despite Nicolas Jackson’s fine form. Man United may look to target another striker themselves if Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee cannot find the net with sufficient regularity.

Juventus were confident of agreeing a new deal with Vlahovic initially but are now ready to offer him an ultimatum. His current contract expires in 2026. As such, next summer or the upcoming January window will represent Juve’s last chance to sell earn back much of that £70 million outlay.

An outlay Vlahovic, after an impressive start to life with the Bianconeri, has struggled to justify.

A tally of nine goals in 17 games this season is far from abysmal, but also maybe not enough for a man who earns the biggest wage in Serie A following the departures of Paul Pogba and Victor Osimhen.

Vlahovic takes home over £200,000-a-week after tax. Juventus are uncomfortable with such a figure, and want Vlahovic to accept a pay cut as part of any new deal. The striker seems unlikely to accept this proposal, however, meaning a parting of the ways looks likely unless there is a breakthrough in talks scheduled for the coming weeks.

Vlahovic has been criticised in Italy but defended by Thiago Motta

In his Fiorentina days, Vlahovic was arguably rivalling a pre-Manchester City Erling Haaland to become European football’s most sought-after young striker. But while Haaland has gone stratospheric at City, Vlahovic remains somewhat grounded.

Across his Juventus career, the former Partizan Belgrade youngster has scored a respectable but far-from prolific 39 goals in 73 Serie A starts, though head coach Thiago Motta has taken the approach of defending his number nine rather than adding to the pile-on.

“We need to utilise Dusan’s more, as he attacks those spaces [in the penalty area] incredibly well,” Motta told reporters in September. “He’s a striker who excels in attacking the box, has great aerial ability, and we have to find ways to exploit that so he can score more goals.

“How can we help him be less nervous [in front of goal]? I agree that it’s something he needs to improve, but he’s progressing well. It’s clear that, as a striker, he lives for goals. But he brings us much more than that, contributing both offensively and defensively.

“He just needs to stay focused and continue playing the way he has. He’s positive, a team leader, and works hard to do his job.”