Chelsea are reportedly in the ‘strongest position’ to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, as per TEAMtalk.
After being appointed as the new manager last month, Liam Rosenior helped the Blues win four consecutive Premier League matches. They had an opportunity to climb up to fourth place in the table with a victory over Leeds United in midweek.
The West London club even managed to earn a two-goal lead courtesy of João Pedro and Cole Palmer’s goals. However, they ended up drawing the game.
Now, Chelsea are fifth in the league with 44 points from 26 games, sitting only one point behind fourth-placed Manchester United. Fifth position might be enough to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Meanwhile, the Blues have already started exploring options to strengthen the squad next summer. TEAMtalk claim that, following Liam Delap’s below-average performances thus far this season, Chelsea are planning to sign a new striker, even though Emanuel Emegha is set to join at the end of this campaign.
Rosenior’s side have identified Vlahovic as a serious option, with the Serbian increasingly likely to become a free agent in the summer.
The 26-year-old has entered the final few months of his current contract, and Juventus wanted to give him a fresh term with a reduced salary. However, the player hasn’t accepted that and is keen on playing in the Premier League.
Battle
Apart from Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Tottenham are also interested in him. However, the Red Devils are unlikely to make a move after signing Benjamin Sesko last summer.
Vlahovic is keen on joining a Champions League team, but Newcastle and Tottenham are highly unlikely to be able to qualify for this competition next season. So, Chelsea are in the ‘strongest position’ to secure his service.
Although Chelsea won’t have to pay a transfer fee to sign him, they will still need to invest a hefty sum to complete the deal, including a high agent commission, the player’s wages, and signing bonuses.
Vlahovic, valued at around £30m by Transfermarkt, is still young and could be a shrewd acquisition for Chelsea should they eventually manage to sign him by defeating Tottenham in this race.
