Dusan Vlahovic to Chelsea, and Why This Summer Transfer Makes Sense
Juventus director Giorgio Chiellini confirmed this week that Dusan Vlahovic will leave the club on a free transfer, ending a four-and-a-half-year stay that began with an €80 million move from Fiorentina in January 2022. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Vlahovic held out for a salary of €8 million per season, supplemented by significant signing bonuses. In comparison, Juventus CEO Damien Comolli stayed firm on €6 million plus performance-related add-ons, with neither side prepared to move. The talks collapsed entirely, and the Serbian now heads into the summer as one of the most attractive free agents European football has seen in years.
Only Inter’s Lautaro Martinez scored more Serie A goals than Vlahovic since his arrival in Turin, with the 26-year-old registering 50 in that period, level with Victor Osimhen. His 2025/26 season was hampered by injury, limiting him to 23 appearances and 10 goals, though his overall numbers across four seasons remain impressive. Reports suggest Vlahovic has already rejected approaches from Saudi Arabia, a clear signal that he wants to stay competing at the top level in Europe.
Sources at TEAMtalk confirmed that Chelsea are the most advanced of all clubs in contact with his representatives, with Manchester United, Tottenham, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Everton also approached, though none are as far along as the Blues. Outside England, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid have all registered interest, making this a genuinely competitive race.
Dusan Vlahovic to Chelsea, the Opinion
Can Chelsea finally get this done? The honest answer is that this feels different from the years of distant interest.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Vlahovic was reportedly spotted in London, and the move is described as an explicit request from incoming manager Xabi Alonso, with the striker potentially lined up as the starting centre-forward for 2026/27. That detail matters enormously. Previous Chelsea links to Vlahovic were speculative, driven by agents and transfer gossip. A manager specifically pushing for a target changes the dynamic completely.
Chelsea’s striker situation is genuinely unsettled, with Nicolas Jackson returning from his Bayern Munich loan but unlikely to be considered a first-choice option, while Liam Delap struggled badly last season. Joao Pedro brings creativity but not the physical presence Alonso clearly desires. There is a gap, and Vlahovic fills it precisely.
The one fair concern is that a free transfer is not a cheap deal. Vlahovic’s wage demands and signing-on bonus will cost Chelsea significantly, and critics note that his profile differs sharply from the younger, more technical players the club have signed under the current ownership.
Also read: 3 tough decisions Chelsea must make to win trophies with Xabi Alonso
Still, Alonso rebuilt Leverkusen partly through knowing exactly the type of striker his system needed. If he sees Vlahovic as that player at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea should trust that instinct. The Dusan Vlahovic to Chelsea move carries risk, but at 26, with no transfer fee attached and a manager already sold on the idea, it is one worth taking.
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