Chelsea could reportedly make a summer swoop for wantaway Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic, whose head has been turned by Premier League interest.
Speaking to Caught Offside, Ben Jacobs has discussed the prospect of Chelsea signing Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the summer as more realistic than the Blues pursuing a deal for AC Milan attacker and long-standing target Rafael Leao.
The Blues were world football’s biggest spenders last summer, forking out around £280 million on new arrivals. Fast forward six months and Todd Boehly’s mad spending spree is continuing in the winter transfer window.
Chelsea have already wrapped up a deal to bring Christopher Nkunku on board at the end of the season. More imminent arrivals have already been secured in the form of Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana, Joao Felix (loan), Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, and most recently Malo Gusto. They continue to construct a squad for the present and future, hoping it will help improve their current fortunes on the pitch.
Regardless, Chelsea’s business is far from concluded, and another high-profile midfield arrival is on the agenda. It could be a busy 48 hours for Chelsea chiefs as they aim to round off their January recruitment drive with the blockbuster addition of Enzo Fernandez, who they have been chasing the whole transfer window.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE 🚨
Dusan Vlahovic could be an option for Chelsea in the summer. He's not as settled at Fiorentina as he was at Juventus and has had his head turned by the Premier League@JacobsBen pic.twitter.com/LZ4cLeqhKd
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) January 30, 2023
While Chelsea have acquired a lot of flair-attacking players, it does not look like that will stop them from eyeing other forwards in the next transfer window, as they still lack a natural number nine.
There is still Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the Gabonese striker looks well past his prime, and it would not be a shock to see him leave in the summer. The Pensioners also have Armando Broja on their books, but he is still quite young to lead the line for Chelsea and will need time to fully recover from the serious injury he sustained earlier in the campaign.
A lack of goals has been Chelsea’s major undoing this season, and they may look to address it by signing a world-class central striker next summer. Out-and-out strikers seem to be a dying breed in the modern game, with very few available on the market.
There is a very real possibility that Dusan Vlahovic could leave Juventus in the summer, and Chelsea could take advantage of the Bianconeri’s current financial crisis by poaching their marksman, who they have coveted for quite some time now and even touched base with his agent last month.
Vlahovic established himself as one of Serie A’s leading strikers during his time with Fiorentina, registering 49 goals and eight assists in 108 appearances across all competitions. The Serbian hitman has struggled to hit the same heights since making the switch to Juventus, though, scoring 16 times in 37 outings while providing four assists.
He has not been as lethal as he was at La Viola, and there is a feeling that Massimiliano Allegri’s pragmatic setup does not suit his style of play, thus hindering him from achieving his full potential.
Given their precarious economic state, Juventus may contemplate selling Dusan Vlahovic in the summer, handing Chelsea a boost in their chase to add a proven top-level striker to their star-studded attack. But the Blues may face some stiff competition from fellow Premier League rivals.
