Chelsea are interested in a move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic this summer, and could take advantage of the Italian club’s financial situation to complete a transfer…
What’s the word?
Chelsea have been among the suitors for the Serbian striker this season, who has not quite found his feet since his £66.6m move to the Old Lady from Fiorentina in January 2022.
Previously according to CalcioMercato, Blues boss Graham Potter has been interested in a move for Vlahovic, with initial consideration being made to pursuing a concrete move this summer.
And now, speaking to Football FanCast, transfer insider Pete O’Rourke has shed some light on the situation, believing that his departure could be imminent following Juventus’ deeply concerning financial issues.
O’Rourke said: “Dusan Vlahovic is going to be an interesting option for a number of clubs this summer.
“The move to Juventus hasn’t worked out probably as he expected. And with all of Juventus’ financial issues going on, it could be a key time for any club to strike and try and do a deal for Vlahovic.”
Perfect Lukaku heir
With Juventus indeed fraught with uncertainty at present, having been penalised for shady past transfer activity with a 15-point deduction which has left them languishing in tenth place in the Serie A after 21 matches, certain members of the squad could be moved on to combat the situation.
And Vlahovic, who commanded a high fee and is reportedly on a salary of £215k-per-week, might indeed find a departure from Turin forthcoming after failing to reach the same heights that earned him a move to the illustrious outfit.
After scoring 49 goals and registering eight assists from just 108 outings for La Viola in the maiden phase of his career, the 23-year-old has scored 18 times from 39 appearances for Juve.
And despite this, the Serbia international, who boasts a commendable ten goals from 19 caps, is one of the most sought-after forwards on the globe at present, with Serbian FA president, Nenad Bjekovic, once heralding him as “better and more complete than [Erling] Haaland”.
This season, Vlahovic has started to find his feet at the Allianz Stadium and netted eight times from only 12 league showings, and his rate of output could prove to be the tantalising factor that prompts Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to make a move.
Having spent over £550m already since last summer, Boehly is not one to shirk away from firing his full might at the transfer market, and while Vlahovic is valued at up to £71m by CIES Football Observatory, negotiations might prove fruitful in whittling down the price given Juventus’ requirement for funds.
Left-footed and an imposing presence at 6 foot 3, the “monster” – as heralded by Carlo Garganese – ranks among the top 20% of forwards in Europe for rate of non-penalty goals and the top 16% for total shots, and he could, in fact, be the perfect replacement for Romelu Lukaku.
The 29-year-old Belgian, who was previously on the Blues’ books years ago, has been a bitter failure since his £97.5m transfer from Inter Milan in 2021, managing just eight goals in the Premier League, and while he has since been loaned back out to Inter, it is unlikely that he will find his way back into contention after acrimoniously expressing his discontent midway through the previous term.
With both players left-footed, dynamic and possessing an innate goalscoring instinct, Vlahovic could take the baton from his positional peer and thrive where Lukaku has failed.
The powerhouse indeed arrived for an exorbitant fee after being sold to Everton years prior, and with Chelsea ostensibly prioritising the striking position this summer to complete Boehly’s opulent jigsaw, Vlahovic could be the man to fill a Lukaku-shaped hole and lead Potter’s Blues to glory.
