Juventus offer Chelsea ENTICING swap deal

Cameron Smith

10 Jul 2023 13:49 BST
3 min read

Romelu Lukaku, Dusan Vlahovic, Chelsea — © ProShots

Juventus have reportedly handed Chelsea the perfect opportunity to offload Romelu Lukaku and sign Dusan Vlahovic this summer by proposing a player-plus-cash swap deal to the Blues.

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Chelsea have seen an opening bid worth €60 million turned down by the Old Lady, according to Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, but they remain keen on landing the Serbian international as their hunt for a number nine continues.

So far this summer, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have already signed Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, who can play through the middle, but they aren’t finished adding talent to their forward line.

Montpellier youngster Sepe Elye Wahi has attracted interest from the Blues, according to L’Equipe, while Eintracht Frankfurt star Randal Kolo-Muani is also admired.

Juve only signed Vlahovic from Fiorentina in 2022 and are intent on turning a profit on the 23-year-old. The report from Corriere della Sera states that Juventus’ asking price is €90m - more than the €81.6m they spent on him 18 months ago.

Vlahovic-Lukaku swap deal?

Chelsea do still have Lukaku on their books, but everything points towards the fact that he will leave the club this summer.

© ProShots - Romelu Lukaku wants to return to Inter Milan

The Belgian international reportedly only wants to join Inter Milan, but a deal has not yet been agreed with Chelsea. However, reports suggest that a €35m offer is expected to be lodged in the coming days.

If Inter do submit that bid, it may scupper Chelsea’s plans of signing Vlahovic. That is because Juventus have told the Blues that Vlahovic is theirs for just €25m if Lukaku is involved in a player-plus-cash swap deal, according to Corriere dello Sport.

That solution would solve Chelsea’s void in the central striker position and offload an unwanted star in Lukaku. However, it remains to be seen if the Belgian forward is even open to the idea.

The 30-year-old scored 14 times and grabbed seven assists in all competitions on loan at Inter last season. By comparison, Vlahovic also netted 14 goals, but only contributed four assists for Juventus in 2022/23.