Chelsea will be hoping their 12th place Premier League finish last term was a one off as Mauricio Pochettino prepares to lead them into the new campaign.
It has been a busy transfer window so far, with 13 players departing and six new arrivals. The squad has been significantly trimmed, not only to free up the wage budget and provide more funds, but to also comply with the financial fair play regulations.
The Argentinian isn’t stopping there however, and a move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic could be next.
How much will Dusan Vlahovic cost Chelsea?
When the Stamford Bridge outfit first showed interest in the 23-year-old talisman at the beginning of July, the Serie A side valued him at £70m, which was around the fee they had paid to sign him from Fiorentina in 2022.
Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…
Pochettino may be able to drive this fee down by offering Romelu Lukaku as a part of a potential swap deal according to Fabrizio Romano.
He discussed the potential deal for Vlahovic on his YouTube channel, saying:
"For Dusan Vlahovic, Mauricio Pochettino – Chelsea manager – is thinking about that.
"He will take some days, it will be the weekend probably, to discuss internally, of course, with the board, but basically, for Chelsea, the decision is to wait for something else for Romelu Lukaku or to go next week into negotiations with Juventus and reach an agreement for the swap deal: Lukaku, Vlahovic.
"So it has to be a strategy, but it is also important to understand what Pochettino wants to do with Dusan Vlahovic because more than one month ago, Chelsea said no to the swap deal between Lukaku and Vlahovic. Now Juventus are offering that again, they want €40m (£34m) as part of the deal.”
Will Dusan Vlahovic improve Chelsea?
Considering the Blues scored just 38 Premier League goals last season, luring a player with the quality that Vlahovic possesses could only improve this tally during 2023/24.
The Serbian international didn’t enjoy the most productive of campaigns for Juventus during 2022/23, scoring 14 times across all competitions, which was a drop from his tally of 29 goals the season before.
The Blues have signed Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, and he could certainly get the former Fiorentina hitman firing again, forging a dream duo with him in the process.
The Frenchman ranked in the top 6% for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.28) across Europe’s big five leagues over the previous 365 days, while also ranking in the top 7% for progressive passes (3.44) and top 8% for successful take-ons (1.68) per 90, indicating just how effective he is at working the ball forward and creating chances for others.
This could only benefit Vlahovic, who averaged 2.5 shots per game for Juventus last term, ranking him first across the whole squad, while he also topped the pile for goals scored and should he be on the receiving end of the excellent service from Nkunku, his goal tally will surely increase.
Former defender Micah Richards lauded the striker back in 2021, saying the Old Lady goal machine was “lightning” while also claiming that the forward had a “wand” of a left foot, and he could be an excellent addition to the Chelsea squad.
Nkunku impressed during pre-season, scoring three goals in four matches and if Pochettino combines his creative talents alongside the attacking qualities of Vlahovic, he could create a scary duo which will terrorise Premier League defenders.