Friday Poll: Would you take Arsenal’s offer for Vlahović?

By now, you’ve likely heard about Arsenal’s thirst for Dušan Vlahović, which either is building or has built to €80 million plus Lucas Torreira. That’s probably the best offer Fiorentina will get for the big Serbian, as it would allow them to reload at striker and reinforce several other key areas. There’ve been conflicting reports about whether or not the Viola are willing to accept, but they might be willing to cash in.

Of course, it’s not nearly that simple, as a move to North London would require Vlahović and his representative Darko Ristić to accept the deal. Vlahović has narrowed his landing spot to four clubs and Arsenal isn’t on that list. If you believe the scuttlebutt that’s been around the league, it’s because Ristić already has an agreement in place with Juventus, an agreement that will make the agent a very rich man indeed and also open a pipeline to Turin for his other clients in the future.

Although we have no idea if Mikel Arteta and company will convince Vlahović and Ristić to scrap their move to Lombardy, it’s fair to ask if Fiorentina should even let him go. After all, this is a team that’s in the midst of a heated race for European qualification, and Vlahović is the unquestioned best player in the team. He leads the league in scoring. Losing him would likely scupper any chance the Viola have to get into Europe this year.

Losing that money, prestige, and visibility could be a significant blow to the club’s ambitions. On the other hand, this is probably the highest Vlahović’s price will ever be. Losing him will give this talented but very flawed team another year to get on the same page with manager Vincenzo Italiano without as much pressure, treating the back half of the season as a practice run before mounting a real challenge to the top spots next time around.

Here’s your weekend thread. Stay loose.