Chelsea may have changed their mind about Dusan Vlahovic and could be ready to pay €60 million for the Juventus striker.
According to Fichajes, Chelsea could pay around €60 million to sign Dusan Vlahovic in January. The Blues may have changed their mind about the Serbian forward, a target for Arsenal and Real Madrid, and could attempt to shore up their front line when the next window opens.
Chelsea’s relentless spending under Tod Boehly has already broken the €1 billion mark in the three windows under the new ownership. The West London club are about to continue, as they still have plenty of things to address in their squad.
For starters, everyone seemed baffled by their inability to land a new striker despite the heavy spending. Nicolas Jackson did arrive as a young forward and has led the line this season. But the former Villarreal man is not capable of leading the line with consistency.
They remain linked with several big names, including Victor Osimhen and others, but most will seem difficult to achieve in January. Chelsea have an immediate requirement to recruit in the winter window but may need more options soon enough.
One name that has returned to their shortlist is that of Dusan Vlahovic. The Serb was largely expected to leave Juventus, with the Serie A giants opening the doors to Chelsea and bringing their forward Romelu Lukaku in exchange.
Chelsea rejected the idea of signing Vlahovic for multiple reasons, while few suggested Juventus’s overall valuations did not suit the Blues. However, with the 23-year-old starting the season in top form, the Premier League side may have changed their minds about him.
In fact, they are now willing to pay €60 million, which is significantly higher than their previous valuations of the striker. As they ponder a January move, Juventus may also rethink their position on the forward after his blistering start to the campaign.
In the scenario that Juventus are willing to sell, then other sides like Real Madrid could also make a January move. The Spanish giants still need to replace the departed Karim Benzema sufficiently and have been on the trail of the Serb since the summer.
Similarly, Arsenal also maintain an interest in the striker and have chased him since January 2022. Mikel Arteta has sufficiently strengthened the forward line since, but they do miss a profile similar to Vlahovic in their squad.
Hence, Arsenal and Real Madrid are active threats to Chelsea in their pursuit of Vlahovic, either in January or later. Going by the 23-year-old’s form this season, even €60 million won’t suffice, as Juventus could revert to their previous asking price of around €90 million.
