Former Fiorentina ace Lulu Oliveira has told Tuttomercatoweb that 21-year-old La Viola striker Dusan Vlahovic must snub interest from West Ham and Tottenham to remain in Serie A.
Links depicting the striker as set for a move away from Florence may have some Fiorentina fans hot under the collar following a previous transfer saga.
Last summer, Fiorentina’s owner Rocco Commisso phrased in no uncertain terms that Fiorentina star Federico Chiesa would not be sold and would be remaining as the main creative force in the Tuscan capital.
Before long, Commisso’s strenuous denial faded into ash when Chiesa swapped the likes of Vlahovic and Nikola Milenkovic for Cristiano Ronaldo and Matthijs de Ligt following a move to Juventus a few weeks later.
Indeed, the Serie A side’s owner also told Gazzetta dello Sport that rising star Vlahovic is going nowhere this summer – but the Chiesa affair will surely conjure an uncomfortable sense of deja-vu in the minds of Fiorentina fans.
Oliveria has since claimed Vlahovic is best-placed developing with the Florentines:
“A great player, who has vision, a beautiful shot, spectacular. Alone, he can do exceptional things,” Oliveira said after a Vlahovic first-half hat-trick.
“He is different from [Gabriel Batuista]. Vlahovic is a young boy, he is growing up and we hope he can progress further.
“We know that when there are interesting young players, the big clubs knock on the Viola’s door. Now it depends on Fiorentina. For me he must stay a few years in Florence: he has skills but he has to prove himself.
“His career is long and he must not think he has arrived.”
Opinion
With 12 goals in under 30 outings this season, Vlahovic is thriving.
At just 21 years of age, the potential for him to improve is mouth-watering and would be an enticing option for David Moyes.
However, enticing Fiorentina to sell is an entirely different affair. They would surely not be tempted into selling Vlahovic so easily.
