MY ACCOUNT
Fiorentina have swiftly secured their replacement for Dusan Vlahovic after signing Brazilian Arthur Cabral from Swiss side Basel.
Vlahovic moved on to Juventus on Friday for an initial €70million, bringing an end to a saga that saw the 22-year-old targeted by a host of Europe’s richest clubs.
Losing his services means Fiorentina were left with a gaping hole in their forward line, given Vlahovic is the joint-top scorer in Serie A this season with 17 goals from 21 appearances – a tally only matched by Lazio’s Ciro Immobile.
Now they have a player they consider capable of making a major impact himself, with Cabral, who inherits the number nine shirt from Vlahovic, having shown prolific scoring form in the Swiss Super League and the Europa Conference League.
Announcing the deal, Fiorentina said: “ACF Fiorentina is delighted to announce the signing of Arthur Mendonca Cabral from FC Basel 1893 on a permanent transfer.”
Neither side has disclosed the fee involved, although reports in Switzerland have put it around the €16.5million mark.
Cabral scored 65 goals in 106 matches for Basel, also assisting 17 times, and this season he has managed 27 goals and eight assists in just 31 games.
He came to Basel in August 2019, initially on loan from Brazilian giants Palmeiras, before the move was made permanent at the end of his first season.
In 2021, he was named the Swiss Super League’s player of the year after helping Basel finish second in the table to runaway champions Young Boys.
Cabral joins a Fiorentina side who sit seventh in Serie A, just outside the European places, with Vincenzo Italiano’s men next in action on February 5 when they face eighth-placed Lazio.
