Juventus director of football Cristian Giuntoli has confirmed that Chelsea made an offer to sign Dusan Vlahovic in a player-plus-cash deal during the recent transfer window.
The London giants were heavily linked with the Serbian star, but a transfer did not materialise. Juventus were prepared to sign Lukaku as part of the deal, but Chelsea were reluctant to meet the demands of the Serie A giants.
Speaking to La Repubblica (via TuttoJuve), Giuntoli revealed that Chelsea never reached the transfer figure that would have convinced them to swap Vlahovic for Lukaku during the summer.
He said: “On Lukaku, there was Chelsea’s offer for Vlahovic. We didn’t want to sell Dusan but given certain numbers we would have accepted. Chelsea never reached that figure, and the exchange was not made.”
January deal
Chelsea were hesitant to meet the demands for the striker following a difficult season for him. Vlahovic netted only 14 goals during the previous campaign. He scored only 2 times between March and June for the Bianconeri.
This contributed to the Blues’ reluctance to pay the fee, but reports have claimed that they could return for him in January. The Serbian has made a fine start to the current season with 4 goals from just 6 appearances.
If he continues his bright form until the New Year, Chelsea could contemplate a fresh approach. The Blues currently have Nicolas Jackson as their main striker, but he has been unconvincing with 1 goal from 6 league games.
The Senegal ace has been guilty of missing several clear-cut chances and manager Mauricio Pochettino may request a new striker in January. Vlahovic could fall back onto the club’s radar as he has proved himself at the top level.
The £61 million star appears to have recaptured his scoring form after a difficult 2022/23 season where he was hampered by loss of form and several injuries. He would be a solid upgrade on Jackson, who is still inexperienced.
