Chelsea are in talks with Juventus over a possible swap deal involving strikers Dusan Vlahovic and Romelu Lukaku, according to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Chelsea have already signed Nicholas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku to bolster their attack this summer but Mauricio Pochettino needs further attacking reinforcements. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz have both left the club as part of the massive summer clear-out, leaving room for the club to bring in another attacker.
Raheem Sterling finished last season as the club’s top scorer with 10 goals in all competitions and Pochettino is keen on solving his striking problem ahead of the new season, which kicks off next week.
Several strikers have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge including Neymar, Victor Osimhen, Lautaro Martinez, and Kylian Mbappe but Vlahovic appears to be back on the radar.
Vlahovic was linked with a move to Chelsea earlier in the summer but the Blues cooled down interest in the Serbia international to focus on selling their unwanted players.
However, it appears a move could now be on the cards as Fabrizio Romano claims that the West Londoners are ‘in talks’ with Juventus through intermediaries regarding a swap deal involving Lukaku and Vlahovic.
Swap deal
Vlahovic has emerged as one of the best centre-forwards in Italy, having scored 49 goals in 108 appearances for Fiorentina prior to his move to Juventus in January 2022.
He hasn’t quite lived up to his reputation in Turin, netting 23 times and recording six assists in 63 games across all competitions. Last season, he was still a key player for Massimiliano Allegri, making 18 goals contributions as Juventus finished 7th in the Serie A table – missing out on Europe following their 10-point deduction.
The 23-year-old is valued at £60m by Transfermarkt and would be an excellent addition to Chelsea’s squad if the Blues could get a deal agreed. The Blues are clearly looking to offload Lukaku and it would be great business if they could use the Belgian to land Vlahovic.
Read more: Romano: Chelsea will ‘continue talks’ to sign 19-goal star as Poch closes-in on £54m double swoop
