Juventus pushing Chelsea to get swap deal done for Romelu Lukaku - Reports
Juventus are reportedly urging Chelsea to consider a swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku and Dusan Vlahovic.
The Belgium international arrived at Stamford Bridge two years ago from Inter for £97.5 million. After just one season in west London, he joined the Nerazzurri on a season-long loan.
Inter were interested in re-signing Lukaku but were reportedly put off by the striker when they found out that he was also in negotiations with Juventus. The Bianconeri are now serious contenders for his signature.
According to Corriere dello Sport via JuventusNews24 (h/t JuveFC.com), Juventus want Chelsea to consider a swap deal that will see Vlahovic and Lukaku exchange places. Their initial plan was to sell the Serbia international for a huge profit.
However, they haven't received any enticing offers for Vlahovic, who signed for the club from Fiorentina in January 2022 for €81.6 million. Both strikers are out of contract in 2026.
Vlahovic (23), though, is significantly younger than Lukaku (30). Moreover, it isn't clear if Chelsea are open to onboarding the Serbian forward. They could use an experienced striker up front despite signing Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal this summer.
Christopher Nkunku could also be deployed as a No. 9. At the moment, the Blues seem to be primarily focused on signing Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo.
Chilwell says he wants to bring glory back to Chelsea
Ben Chilwell was one of the many underperforming stars for Chelsea last season as they finished a lowly 12th in the league.
The England international made just 15 Premier League starts in a campaign where he was troubled by fitness problems. However, he wants to ensure that the Blues return to fighting for the biggest titles as soon as possible.
In an interview (via the Athletic), the 26-year-old said:
"I want to help Chelsea get back to winning titles and cups. And I know we’ll get there in the near future, and I want to be one of the reasons that we get back to that, so that was my reasoning behind it.
"I am not going to run when things are going badly. I want to be one of the reasons we get back to the best Chelsea."
The Premier League winner (with Leicester City) arrived at Chelsea in 2020 for £50 million (€58.22 million). He has registered nine goals and 12 assists in 85 games across competitions for the Blues, winning three trophies.
Chilwell is expected to compete with Marc Cucurella for a starting berth in Mauricio Pochettino's XI next season. Ian Maatsen (21) and Lewis Hall (18) will also be competing for the left-back slot in the upcoming season.