Chelsea are reportedly plotting a sensational swap deal that would see Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic arrive at Stamford Bridge and Christian Pulisic head in the opposite direction.
What’s the latest on Dusan Vlahovic to Chelsea?
According to JuveLive.it, the Blues are planning to offer €50 (£44m), as well as Pulisic, in an audacious player plus cash.
The report also suggests that Juventus are “ready” to sell the Serbian and that Chelsea are set to be rivalled by Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Tottenham Hotspur for his signature.
The Old Lady are supposedly holding out for between €70-80m (£62-70m), but owner Todd Boehly’s generous offer could tempt Juventus into selling one of their prize assets.
Would Vlahovic be a good fit at Chelsea?
The 18-cap international is enduring one of his least productive and most frustrating seasons in Italy so far, only netting 11 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions this season.
However, this mere dip in form shouldn’t serve as a distraction to what Vlahovic has previously done at Juventus and Fiorentina. In his previous two campaigns, the £220k-per-week man scored 38 goals in 58 games, a monstrous record and a reflection of his uncoachable potency in front of goal.
From a Chelsea perspective, this kind of threat is what they’ve desperately lacked this season as they have only scored 29 goals in the Premier League and acting striker Kai Havertz is the club’s top scorer in all competitions with a measly nine goals.
It has plagued their campaign and was one of the principal causes for the premature termination of the tumultuous Graham Potter era.
But the profile and reputation of the £52m-rated menace is exactly what Chelsea need to rectify this damaging issue.
Big Six competitor and arch-rivals Spurs currently possess Harry Kane – a supremely talented and incredibly reliable source of goals – something that Vlahovic also has in abundance, and the Juventus forward is comparable to the England talisman, as per FBref‘s statistical model.
The former Fiorentina machine fits the exact profile of a typical striker – physical, strong, and pacey with the flourish of a lethal left foot. In a Chelsea team that would have Ben Chilwell and Reece James bombing down the wingback positions with their inviting deliveries, Vlahovic could potentially replicate the type of numbers that Kane produces in North London.
Pundit Micah Richards said that the 23-year-old has “everything you need” in a striker and predicted the player to reach extraordinary heights.
With an undeniably solid goal-scoring record and possessing a profile that no other Chelsea player currently has, the signing of Vlahovic could be a masterstroke for the 2021 Champions League winners to save them from more future midtable mediocrity.