Mikael Silvestre has urged former side Arsenal to reignite their interest in Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic - despite being snubbed by him in 2022.

The north London outfit's quest for a forward who can spearhead their Premier League title charge and challenge a formidable Manchester City could come to fruition this summer. While big names such as Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Napoli's Victor Osimhen have been mooted, ex-Gunner Silvestre believes Serbia international Vlahovic is the perfect addition.

Vlahovic, who had a goalless Euro 2024, caught the eye with his performances for Fiorentina in Serie A, attracting plenty of suitors. But he ultimately opted for Juventus over a move to England two years ago - a decision that former Real Madrid and AC Milan star Antonio Cassano was not fond of.

Arsenal's initial approach for Vlahovic made waves in January 2022 when a PS50million plus Lucas Torreira offer was turned down in favour of Juventus' PS66.6m bid. The transfer saw him become one of the Turin club's most expensive signings, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and current Manchester United target Matthijs de Ligt, reports the Mirror.

Vlahovic earned his move from La Viola after netting 17 times, marking him out as one of Serie A's top strikers, but his choice of club was criticised by former Italy international Cassano. He spoke out on Christian Vieri's Twitch channel in 2022, saying: "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. For me, you know, he has always been a second-tier player." Former Gunners star Silvestre also weighed in on Vlahovic's situation with Arsenal in January when the interest was revisited.

Speaking to bettingexpert.com, he said: "It's more of a summer signing because Juventus are fighting for the title. But, based on ability and technically he's excellent. We would have to deal with Juventus, which isn't easy, but would he be a good buy? Yes. 100 per cent."

Juventus have reportedly slapped a PS85m price tag on Vlahovic, a figure typical for top-tier strikers these days. Sporting's Victor Gyokeres, another Arsenal target, also carries the same release clause as Vlahovic.

Meanwhile, players like Isak and Osimhen would probably cost even more than that - they're currently valued at over PS100m. It remains to be seen if Arsenal will heed the advice from their former defender.

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