In the summer of 2016, Dušan Vlahović became Partizan Belgrade's youngest ever player at just 16 years of age. His 2018 move to Italian Serie A club ACF Fiorentina was greeted with very little fanfare, and when he netted just 6 times in 40 games for La Viola the lack of hype seemed justified.
Vlahović exploded in the 2020-21 season, scoring 21 league goals while leading the line for a struggling Fiorentina side. His superb displays as an old school penalty box poacher ensured Europe's big boys sat up and took notice. But the summer of 2021 saw fellow young strikers Erling Håland and Kylian Mbappé serenaded by the European media, and Vlahović's achievements slipped under the radar.
To prove that his outstanding performances was not just a flash in the pan, the young Serb took his game up a notch following the dawn of the current season. At the time of writing, Dušan Vlahović has a stunning 16 goals in 19 games, trailing only the freakish Robert Lewandowski in the European Golden Shoe race. Vlahović's reluctance to sign a contract extension has alerted the likes of Arsenal, Spurs, Manchester City, Juventus and Atletico Madrid, who are all on the lookout for reinforcements up front.
With competition rife for the 21 year-old, Fiorentina have slapped a €90 million price tag on his head, with the player reportedly demanding at least €230,000 a week. This is likely to put off some suitors (most notably Arsenal who have all but pulled out of the race) but it does strengthen the position of financially strong clubs (like Man City) who are in dire need of a attacking focal point.
With Mino Raiola determined to leach the maximum out of clubs wanting Erling Håland and Kylian Mbappé not willing to talk to anyone not named Reál Madrid, Dušan Vlahović has (somewhat) quietly become the most coveted young striker in Europe. Google "Fiorentina news" in January and the search results could be fascinating to follow.