Newcastle United have made a last-ditch attempt to stop Dusan Vlahovic joining Juventus – but the Fiorentina striker has said no.
That’s according to Tuttomercatoweb, who claim that Newcastle made contact earlier today to try and set up a deal for Vlahovic.
Newcastle were met with the same answer Arsenal received; Vlahovic just wasn’t interested.
Vlahovic wants to play for a top club, and he feels that both Arsenal and Newcastle just can’t give him what he wants right now.
Instead, Vlahovic is heading to Juventus for a huge fee of €70million (£63million), ending the months of speculation over his future.
This was a bold attempt from Newcastle. Their chances of signing Vlahovic were always slim at best, even with the funding from PIF.
Vlahovic is emerging as one of Europe’s top strikers, and it won’t be long before he’s considered on the same level as Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
That calibre of player just isn’t going to risk his immediate future by joining a Newcastle side who could end up in the Championship.
The Serbian goal machine has smashed 17 goals and four assists in 21 league games for Fiorentina this season, excelling in those famous purple shirts.
Half of Europe have been chasing Vlahovic, but it’s Juventus who appear to have won the race in a controversial move.
Juve and Fiorentina have a bitter rivalry, and fans are already furious with Vlahovic for joining their great enemy.
Joining Newcastle could have saved him some hassle over in Italy, but Vlahovic was never going to snub Juventus for the Magpies.
It may be a few years until Newcastle can really start to challenge clubs like Juventus for top signings.
Vlahovic would have been a stunning signing in the final week of the window, but Newcastle’s cheeky last-gasp offer met a predictable end.
It’s back to the drawing board for the Magpies, who need to find another striker from somewhere – they may just need to lower their expectations a little.
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