Chelsea are reportedly considering a move for £70million-rated Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic as Mauricio Pochettino looks to strengthen his forward line. Vlahovic is supposedly ‘long admired’ by the Blues transfer hierarchy and could be pursued once the West Londoners have completed a deal for Brighton ace Moises Caicedo.
Pochettino is keen to address Chelsea’s scoring issues. He could still target a first-choice No 9 despite acquiring the services of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson this summer.
Chelsea scored just 38 Premier League goals in a dismal campaign last term, with Kai Havertz mostly used as a makeshift centre-forward. New signing Nkunku will likely play wide of a striker, while Jackson is a punt at £30m.
Another new face could still arrive, with Chelsea supposedly considering a shortlist of names. Vlahovic and Montpellier youngster Elye Wahi have both been linked with moves to Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2023-24 season.
According to Football London, 23-year-old Serbian Vlahovic is ‘long admired’ by key Chelsea staff. His arrival could be sought once the Premier League outfit have signed Caicedo, with it widely reported that the latter move could advance this week.
It is claimed that Vlahovic has fans among those who make up the newly-pieced together sporting hierarchy at Stamford Bridge. The powerful centre-forward was wanted by most of Europe’s biggest clubs before his switch to Juventus.
Since then, Vlahovic has continued to impress despite his side’s seventh-placed finish last season. He struck 14 times in all competitions last term, having scored eight in his first half-campaign the year prior.
Despite being linked with big-money signings, Pochettino has told his current players that they must step up after last season’s woeful return. The result of a £600m outlay was a 12-placed finish and two managerial sackings.
“Now is a new start. They need to show their real quality. But we need to create a platform for them to feel comfortable and to create the space for them to perform and improve,” Pochettino said.
“These players were arriving in difficult circumstances and it’s a great challenge for us, because we love to work in this way. We need to give them the opportunity to show they are able to cope with pressure to play for Chelsea.
“It’s not only the responsibility of [the coach] to always feel [the mood] with everyone. The player has responsibility to try to adapt and have his own motivation and try to work really hard and let us to manage to try to achieve the very best.”
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