It is safe to say that Chelsea have a lot of areas to work on this summer. After all, this is a team that finished 10th in the Premier League and trophyless. Naturally, they cannot rest on their laurels. That being said, the budget could prove to be a hurdle for the club going into the transfer window.
Chelsea have not qualified for the Champions League in three of the last four seasons. The club have not had a long-term front-of-shirt sponsor since BlueCo arrived. And they have posted record losses recently.
So, it is hard to imagine that they will have a ton of budget to work with. They might need to let go of players in order to afford fresh signings. That seemed to be the case last summer as well.
As a result, it might not be a bad idea for them to look at signing potential free agents this summer. And it looks like one player they have been linked with lately is set to be available, with his contract running out and an extension now looking unlikely.
Chelsea handed chance to sign Juventus player for free
The player we are talking about is none other than Dusan Vlahovic. Chelsea have been linked with him, going back to his days at Fiorentina. But a move has just never materialised.
They might never get a better chance though. It looks like Vlahovic won’t be extending his contract at Juventus and is set to be available as a free agent.
Juventus director Giorgio Chiellini told news agency AGI regarding the situation of Vlahovic:
“I am very sad, he [Vlahovic] cared about Juve right up to the last minute.
“He is a serious professional. With these figures, he won’t remain in Italy, so it is only fair and legitimate that he is seeking a different type of salary.”
So, it looks like there is a chance to sign Vlahovic as a free agent this summer. Will Chelsea try to make it happen? Or will they leave this race as well?
Vlahovic was recently spotted in London
The Vlahovic to Chelsea rumours cropped back up recently. That is because the striker was reportedly spotted in London.
Of course, even if the report is accurate, that does not mean that it had anything to do with Chelsea. So, let’s see how this all plays out.
Any move for Vlahovic would make sense if one or both of Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson end up leaving this summer.
It will most probably have to be both Delap and Jackson leaving. Otherwise, there would be far too many options for one spot. And it is hard to imagine that either would be happy enough to be the third choice behind Vlahovic and Joao Pedro.
It is also quite possible that there is nothing to those rumours. Remember, Chelsea did pull out of the Ibrahima Konate race as well.
