Chelsea reportedly refused the chance to sign Dusan Vlahovic in the summer after they were quoted a steep asking price by Juventus.
According to a report from London World, Chelsea had been offered the opportunity to sign Dusan Vlahovic this past summer. However, once the incredibly high price tag set by Juventus became evident, the Blues steered clear and opted to put their trust in dynamic attacker Nicolas Jackson and experienced winger Raheem Sterling to come up with goods in the final third.
The Blues have spent over £1 billion on new signings since American businessman Todd Boehly and his consortium completed the takeover of the Premier League club last year. Chelsea have been focused on signing promising young talent to significantly reduce their squad’s average age. Yet, with all the money being splashed around the park, many Chelsea fans have been left frustrated by the lack of firepower upfront the club currently boasts.
Christopher Nkunku was brought in over the summer from RB Leipzig to add a new element to their attack. But he has since suffered an injury. This has left new boy Nicolas Jackson currently leading the line for the West Londoners. But he has so far been wasteful when it comes to putting away chances on his platter, having only netted once in his first four league games for the Blues.
The West London outfit only scored 38 Premier League goals last season and currently sit 12th in the Premier League with just four points after a disappointing start to the season. This has further emphasised the club’s need for more potency in front of goal.
However, it could have been a very different story after it emerged that Mauricio Pochettino’s side turned down a chance to sign Vlahovic. The Serbian international was linked with a move to Stamford Bridge over the summer. In fact, it is said that Romelu Lukaku was once considered a makeweight in a potential player-plus-cash swap deal with Vlahovic.
Those rumours, though, cooled down towards the closing stages of the transfer window. Indeed, the only outstanding issue was just how much cash Chelsea would end up handing over. It was reported back then that Juve were demanding €40 million in cash as part of the package that would see Vlahovic move to Stamford Bridge and Lukaku head the other way around.
Chelsea were not ready to invest that kind of money in the Serbian striker, and talks broke down as Vlahovic stayed put at Juventus. Regarded as a world-class striker prospect during his time at Fiorentina, the 23-year-old has all the tools to develop into a prolific forward.
Despite an underwhelming spell at Juventus, he managed to score 14 goals across all competitions last season and has made a fine start to the season with three goal contributions in as many Serie A games so far. It remains to be seen if interest will in fact reignite in January.
Also Read: Chelsea Summer Transfer Window Verdict 2023
However, there could be a slight twist in the tale for the Blues. That is because, according to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus are looking to offer a brand new contract to Vlahovic that will see him extend his stay by another year to 2027, which could be a major blow to their hopes of signing Vlahovic.