Chelsea have suffered with injuries in the striker position this season, and The Chelsea Chronicle understands that they have been offered the chance to sign a top European option for cheap this summer.
Joao Pedro has been forced to play the bulk of the minutes up front for the Blues so far due to a hamstring injury suffered by Liam Delap in just the third game of the campaign.
After a prolonged period on the sidelines, Enzo Maresca has said Delap is ready to return to action, and he may well take part in the EFL Cup tie against Wolves.
Chelsea will not want to leave themselves short of genuine options up front again, and may have the chance to secure a deal for a player they have previously targeted in the striker position.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca arriving at the City Ground
Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Chelsea offered chance to sign Dusan Vlahovic for cheap
Dusan Vlahovic has been linked to Chelsea in the past, however the deal financially has not made sense in the past.
This could be about to change though. Graeme Bailey has exclusively told The Chelsea Chronicle that the Serbian is available for less than £20m if the Blues want to do a deal in January, after being offered his services.
He said: “Vlahovic’s people have been doing the rounds. They’ve been talking to clubs in England, touching base. Obviously in England, there’s only so many clubs that obviously can get a Vlahovic, in terms of the big top six. Tottenham, Chelsea are both in the market for strikers possibly.
“They’re being alerted to the fact that Vlahovic is available and he’s probably even available for less than 20 million in January but obviously it’s in the players hands and if he wants to move. It’s an option that the Chelsea have looked at before.
“They’ve been offered him. I’ve been told he’s looking for less money than what he’s on at Juventus now. He didn’t want to take a wage drop, but he’s looking for less money now. So, I think it’s an option that’s being presented to Chelsea and one clearly they know all about him. I mean, Vlahovic isn’t a secret to anyone and he’s only 25.”
Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic before Champions League game
Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images
Vlahovic was not a fan of previous Chelsea manager
Maresca and Vlahovic have never worked together before, however Chelsea will be hoping their relationship will be stronger than what the striker’s was with a previous Blues boss.
It was reported that Vlahovic was not a fan of Mauricio Pochettino, with that being a significant hurdle to the club’s interest in signing him at the time.
Chelsea will likely be looking to make the most of a returning Delap, and also have a number of young players coming through in the coming seasons.
Emanuel Emegha is set to join the club at the end of the season from Strasbourg, with Marc Guiu also currently pushing for minutes at Stamford Bridge too.