Dusan Vlahovic wasn't a name that many non-Serie A following fans had heard of, but after his impressive showings for Fiorentina last season, the Serbian international has become a highly sought-after entity. The 21 year old scored a whopping 21 goals for the Viola during the 2020/21 campaign, making him the team's top goal-scorer and playing a vital role in the Tuscan side remaining afloat to compete in the top flight for another term.
How impressive was his output? Well, only a handful of players in Serie A scored more goals than he did last season. That includes Capocannoniere winner Cristiano Ronaldo as well as Belgian star Romelu Lukaku, with the Juventus and Inter aces netting 29 and 24 respectively, as well as Atalanta's Luis Muriel (22 goals).
Naturally, Vlahovic's output has garnered the attention of quite a few big clubs across Europe, including English giants Liverpool and Tottenham. However, Fiorentina are desperate to hang on to their player, despite losing newly signed coach Gennaro Gattuso less than a month after his hiring and having to scramble to find his replacement, with former Spezia boss Vincenzo Italiano now in charge.
According to reports, Tottenham see him as a potential replacement for Harry Kane should the English international force a move elsewhere, while Liverpool are looking for a solid back-up option for Roberto Firmino.
Vlahovic does have a contract tying him to Fiorentina until 2023, meaning that the Gigliati aren't obliged to sell their player elsewhere, and will be pushing to offer him an improved deal, which could come as a big blow for teams interested in his services.
Yet, as we've all seen, an improved contract isn't always enough to keep a player at his current destination - especially if another interested side can come up with a large enough offer to entice the team into selling.
So will Vlahovic be still at the Stadio Artemio Franchi at the start of the 2021/22 season? We'll just have to wait and see.
