Anatomy of a transfer. Allegedly

With Silly Season well and truly underway, Gooners everywhere hit 'refresh' on the websites of their choice to gather hints of possible new signings. Arsenal are notoriously secretive, which makes the deal for Yaya Sanogo - confirmed by manager Arsène Wenger as being in the pipeline - so special.

But the striker most tirelessly linked with Arsenal this Silly Season is Stevan Jovetic. The reports have been all over the place.

Two months ago, we looked at a top international striker who said he had "an affinity for Arsenal". Then last week, his agent stated that his client would "prefer to stay in Italy". That Jovetic definitely is on the move, was confirmed by his current employers Fiorentina on the day before yesterday.

Probably, that last decision was made in the player's mind on the final day of the Serie A season, as Fiorentina narrowly lost out on the chance to qualify for the Champions League. The other decisions are not as straight forward. We might be looking at the same kind of player power that finally put Robin van Persie in a Manchester United shirt last summer.

This brief telegram from Italian wire service ANSA sums it up well: Fiorentina want €30 million, no ifs or buts or well thought-out clauses. Cash is king. They want to sell abroad, and want Arsenal to stop haggling. Chelsea are also said to be interested, and any bidding war with them will likely end in tears at the Emirates, as usual.

Jovetic or, more likely, his agent, are more aligned to Fiorentina's way of thinking. Cash is king, and the highest bidder is where they will go. The statements have most likely been prepared already: if Juventus put the most money on the table, Jovetic will likely praise the Serie A and the need for his family to stay in Italy. If Chelsea flashes enough rubles, he'll talk about the challenges of another league and another environment.

The only way I see him choose Arsenal is for actually taking part in a developing project, being a brick in Wenger's continued building of a fourth Arsenal title winning team. Either that, or Chelsea aren't interested after all.

Because we shan't be fooled by the tabloids' insistence on Arsenal having a £70m war chest. We still have the same manager, and he still has principles about how to spend money. No way will he outbid the tank with the £50 notes and its megalomaniac owner.

Of course these are only my interpretations of leaks and reports over the last few months. But I was an optimist about Arsenal signing Jovetic two months ago. Now I expect to see the Montenegro striker go elsewhere.