Fiorentina have offered Dusan Vlahovic the biggest contract in their history to ward off Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, owner Rocco Commisso has told Tuttomercatoweb.
This time last summer, Federico Chiesa, arguably the most talented player to wear the iconic purple shirt since the legendary Gabriel Batistuta, joined arch rivals Juventus on the last day of the transfer window.
That came after Commisso had spent the entire summer maintaining the Italy international would be going nowhere.
So as Fiorentina’s owner continues to insist Vlahovic will still be plying his trade at the Stadio Artemio Franchi next season, supporters could be forgiven for taking those claims with a pinch of salt.
Nuno Espirito Santo and Fabio Paratici are both in agreement about the talent and potential of the self-professed ‘next Zlatan Ibrahimovic’, with Sky claiming Tottenham are weighing up a late-summer bid for the £60 million-rated front man.
Vlahovic also held talks with Liverpool earlier in the window, and it’s understood contract talks with Fiorentina have broken down.
Can Fiorentina hold on to Vlahovic as Liverpool and Spurs circle?
“Fiorentina’s intention for months has been to keep him,” says Commisso, who has spent the entire week insisting Vlahovic will stay put.
“When I bought Fiorentina, after three weeks I took him to America. In Chicago I saw this tall boy, handsome, he impressed me. He scored a goal in New York and I immediately thought: ‘This is a real player.’
“We want to keep him but the agents are involved, those who advise him. An incredible situation.
“We offered him a contract that, had he accepted with a big pay rise, he would have cost more than (Franck) Ribery, the most expensive contract in the history of Fiorentina.”
La Liga champions Atletico Madrid are also stepping up their interest in a man who can be considered Erling Haaland’s closest challenger for the title of Europe’s most exciting young striker.
Six-time Serie A champion Alessio Tacchinardi, however, believes Vlahovic would be a big success at Spurs, insisting he’s “ready” to join a Premier League giant.
Fiorentina did manage to tie down another Tottenham target earlier this week, however, handing Nikola Milenkovic a new deal.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
