MILAN: Dusan Vlahovic has not been named in Fiorentina's squad for their trip to Cagliari after the Serie A side announced two new Covid-19 cases.
The Viola's star striker, who co-leads the Serie A scoring charts alongside Ciro Immobile with 17 goals, is one of two notable absences alongside Riccardo Saponara.
Fiorentina did not say however which two players or members of their coaching staff had tested positive ahead of the match in Sardinia early on Sunday afternoon.
In a statement, Fiorentina said that the unnamed positive pair were both “vaccinated and asymptomatic”.
Serbia forward Vlahovic, who turns 22 on Friday, has been a target for a number of clubs around Europe and earlier on Saturday Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano said he could not wait for the current transfer window to close at the end of the month.
“Honestly I think it’s the same for every manager, you can’t wait for this transfer window to close because it’s always difficult to play with it still open,“ Italiano told reporters.
Italian media report that Arsenal and Juventus are the two clubs keenest to sign Vlahovic, whose contract with Fiorentina expires in the summer of 2023 and who has refused to sign an extension with the Tuscan club.
Owner Rocco Commisso said in October that Vlahovic had refused a new deal which would have made him the highest-paid player in Fiorentina's history.
Fiorentina sit sixth in Serie A, seven points away from the Champions League places. - AFP
