Chelsea have reportedly joined the race to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
The Serbia international snubbed interest from Arsenal to join the Old Lady in the January transfer window and came up with nine goals and two assists from 21 games during his first half-season at the club.
Vlahovic has also started the 2022-23 campaign in strong form with five goals from seven Serie A outings, including a goal and assist against Bologna in the weekend's 3-0 victory.
The former Fiorentina man's efforts have not been enough to prevent Massimiliano Allegri's side from suffering a poor start to the season, though, as their 3-0 win over Bologna was only their third win from 10 games in all tournaments.
Juve occupy seventh spot in the Serie A table during the early stages of the campaign, and Vlahovic has also played the full 90 minutes in Champions League defeats to Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain.
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Despite only joining the Old Lady from Fiorentina over the winter - and signing a four-year contract until the summer of 2026 - Vlahovic is being tipped to complete an early exit from Turin.
Arsenal have supposedly reignited their interest amid suggestions that Vlahovic is unhappy at Juventus, and according to Il Bianconero, Chelsea are also keen on a move for the 22-year-old.
The Blues allowed Romelu Lukaku to rejoin Inter Milan on loan during the summer window, and the Belgium international is expected to stay on with the Nerazzurri until at least the summer of 2024.
Timo Werner also completed a permanent return to RB Leipzig, and the club responded by bringing in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on transfer deadline day from Barcelona.
The 33-year-old scored his first goal for the club in Saturday's 2-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace, but he is only under contract until 2024 and is not considered a long-term investment.
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With Armando Broja yet to enjoy his breakthrough campaign at Chelsea, the Blues could supposedly turn to Vlahovic to fill the void up front, but they are facing heavy competition from across Europe.
Bayern Munich and PSG are both said to be interested in prising Vlahovic away from Juventus, with the Bavarians still on the hunt for a successor to Robert Lewandowski.
However, the report adds that Juventus are planning with the Serbia international for the long-term, and Vlahovic is also determined to restore the Bianconeri to their former glories.
The former Partizan youngster has amassed 14 goals and three assists in 30 appearances for Juventus across all competitions, as well as eight goals from 16 caps for the Serbia national team.
Ben Knapton
