Chelsea and Juventus are reportedly holding discussions regarding a potential swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku and Dusan Vlahovic.
When the two players signed for their respective clubs in 2021 and 2022, they were deemed to be the solution for their issues in the final third.
However, despite partial success for each player, both high-profile names want to leave their teams, who are happy to cash in for the right price.
If reports are to be believed, Chelsea are looking to recoup in the region of €40m (£34.3m) for Lukaku, a considerable drop from the £97.5m that they paid Inter Milan two years.
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital had been holding negotiations with their Inter counterparts over a permanent deal before the latter withdrew from the process due to Lukaku allegedly holding secret talks with Juventus.
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From the perspective of Juve, though, it is reported that they can not pursue a deal for Lukaku unless they part ways with Vlahovic in the coming weeks.
While Vlahovic has 23 goals and six assists from 63 appearances, all parties are happy to go their separate ways, with the player seemingly not suited to Massimiliano Allegri's tactics and Juventus wanting to boost their financial position.
The Italian giants, at one stage, had hoped that Paris Saint-Germain would follow up their initial interest in the Serbia international, yet talk has gone cold on that front for the time being.
Nevertheless, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea and Juventus are now speaking through intermediaries to determine whether they can reach a compromise regarding the two frontmen.
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If some sort of swap deal was to be successfully negotiated, it is felt that Chelsea would need to pay a substantial fee as well as allowing Lukaku to move to Turin.
In a bid to get Lukaku's wages off their outgoings, that is still something that may appeal to the West Londoners, even though they are said to have turned down the chance to sign Vlahovic last month.
Newly-appointed head coach Mauricio Pochettino already has Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Armando Broja at his disposal ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign.
That said, Nkunku could be deployed in a creative role and Broja is said to feature for the first team in pre-season as he continues to regain fitness after a serious knee injury.
Darren Plant
