The soap opera involving Dusan Vlahovic’s protracted departure from Fiorentina has just added another chapter according to a report in Mundo Deportivo.
Vlahovic is considered one of the hottest young centre-forwards in the game, and several European heavyweights – including Barcelona – have been linked with a move for him in the summer.
His contract with Fiorentina expires in the summer of 2023 and so this forthcoming close-season transfer window will be the Italian club’s last chance to earn a significant fee from his departure.
This week it was confirmed Vlahovic would be going nowhere this January and will stay at Fiorentina until the end of the season, with Joe Barone, the club’s sporting director, using Jonathan Ikone’s presentation to send a message to the Serbian’s agent.
Barone compared a recent interview Vlahovic’s agent Darko Ristic gave criticising Fiorentina for not doing enough to keep his client to Romelu Lukaku’s comments about leaving Internazionale.
“I’ve read his words, he released them in an unauthorised interview a bit like what happened with Lukaku,” Barone said. “We must not deceive the fans. He’s never given us options or proposed different scenarios.
“They know that the renewal process has dragged on for over a year. At the end of November our president met with Ristic and he asked almost twice as much compared to the last proposal, showing a total lack of respect for Fiorentina and its president.”
