CHELSEA have suffered a transfer blow after Real Madrid reportedly registered an interest in signing Dusan Vlahovic.
The Blues have admired the striker for some time and it is believed Juventus would be open to letting him go this summer.
Chelsea confirmed the arrival of striker Nicolas Jackson on Friday but Mauricio Pochettino may be keen to add more firepower to his attack.
However Chelsea could miss out on Vlahovic as Real Madrid want to sign the Serbia international, according to Calciomercato.
It is claimed the Spanish giants are considering a loan move for Vlahovic, which will include a fee in the region of £13-17million.
That would allow Real to make a move for Kylian Mbappe next summer when the superstar’s Paris Saint-Germain contract runs out.
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But it is possible Chelsea could still win the race for Vlahovic and they are willing to offer Juventus a player in exchange.
Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Trevoh Chalobah, Romelu Lukaku and Kalidou Koulibaly were all believed to have been offered during talks between the two clubs.
Koulibaly and Loftus-Cheek have since departed with Pulisic also close to joining AC Milan, but the money from their sales and that of Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz could fund a move for Vlahovic.
Juventus value Vlahovic at £68million and club chiefs are desperate to sell him this summer.
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The striker joined the club in a £62m transfer from Fiorentina in January last year, but he has struggled to find form with 23 goals in 63 games for The Old Lady.
Vlahovic is also a long-term Arsenal transfer target but it appears Mikel Arteta has focused on other players this summer, including Declan Rice.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk