Chelsea have held talks with the father of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic as they keep tabs on the soon-to-be out free agent, according to reports in Italy.
The Blues are preparing to strengthen in a number of areas ahead of the arrival of new manager Xabi Alonso, who takes over in July.
Chelsea are interested in signing a new striker as Liam Delap endured a miserable campaign and Joao Pedro has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge.
Nicolas Jackson is returning from his loan spell at Bayern Munich but Chelsea are willing to offload the Senegal international, who was deemed surplus to requirements last summer.
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Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport say Chelsea are one of a number of clubs who have made contact with Milos Vlahovic to discuss a possible move for his son, Dusan.
The 26-year-old Serbia international has spent the last five seasons at Juventus, who spent £66m to sign him from Fiorentina in 2021.
Vlahovic’s contract in Turin expires at the end of the month and while he is interested in extending his stay, other clubs have begun to circle.
It is claimed his father and agent Milos will hold one final ‘do-or-die’ meeting with Juventus chiefs to try and thrash out a new deal.
However, Milos is keeping his options open and has already held talks with Chelsea, Newcastle United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Juventus are keen to keep hold of Vlahovic, who has been heavily linked with Manchester United in recent years, but there is a disparity with the player in salary expectations.
As a result there is said to be ‘pessimism’ surrounding the deal, with Juventus even targeting Randal Kolo Muani as Vlahovic’s potential replacement.
Whether Vlahovic would be willing to join Chelsea or Newcastle remains to be seen as neither club qualified for next season’s Champions League.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have reportedly revived their interest in former transfer target Mike Maignan as they consider signing a new goalkeeper this summer.
Robert Sanchez endured another inconsistent season at Stamford Bridge and a number of pundits – including England legend Paul Scholes – have urged Alonso to sign a replacement.
Chelsea came close to signing Maignan last summer in a deal worth £25m but the France international ended up staying at AC Milan.
Reports in Italy claim Maignan is once again eyeing a move away from Milan ahead of the summer transfer window following a frustrating season for the Italian giants.
But at this stage Chelsea are yet to turn their interest into an official approach and could wait until Alonso officially takes over to make a decision on the goalkeeper situation.
Ex-Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf was keen to see ‘exceptional’ Maignan arrive at Stamford Bridge last summer.
‘Magic Mike is his nickname because he’s so exceptional,’ Leboeuf told ESPN FC when asked about a proposed move for his fellow countryman.
‘If they decide to go for Mike that’s a very good decision because the guy is a really good goalkeeper. I know him, I appreciate him and I think he will be very useful to Chelsea.’
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