Mikel Arteta’s former prime target Dusan Vlahovic reveals why he chose Juventus ahead of Arsenal

Dusan Vlahovic has broken his silence after rejecting Arsenal to seal a £62million deal to Juventus from Fiorentina.

The Serbian striker was one of the Gunners’ top targets this month, as a replacement for the exiled Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Mikel Arteta already wants long-term replacements for 30-somethings Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

Juventus recruited the Fiorentina goal machine for £62million on his 22nd birthday.

Vlahovic was keen to stay in Italy and in the past week it became clear Arsenal had little chance of persuading him otherwise.

He said: “Juventus represents pride, tradition, family. Juventus are always there until the last minute, they never give up.

“The team always comes first, I am at the disposal of the coach and my teammates, who I will try to help in the best way possible.

“We always want more, and we want to improve in the future. Today is my birthday, which is really wonderful, a special day for me.

“This is one of the happiest birthdays I’ve experienced so far. I want to make Juventus proud. We will always fight for all goals, as they say, fino alle fine!”

The 22-year-old would have been offered a huge salary and add-on incentives to seal a move to Mikel Arteta’s side.

But he has snubbed a switch to North London to join the Italian giants and become their next superstar forward.

Vlahovic’s move to Juventus also includes around £6m in add-ons, including goal bonuses and appearance fees.

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