Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been handed a fresh boost over Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović, with the player now ready to take one drastic action to leave Turin.

While summer signing Liam Delap is now ready and available once again after weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring problem, the Englishman’s absence somewhat exposed Chelsea’s lack of striker options.

BlueCo were forced to cut short Marc Guiu’s loan spell at Sunderland and bring the Spaniard back to Stamford Bridge as cover for Delap, with Joao Pedro, an arguably more natural number 10, also handed the task of playing up front by Maresca.

Guiu was handed his first Premier League start of the season for Chelsea in their 2-1 loss to the Black Cats last weekend, but failed to make the desired impact, despite scoring against Ajax a few days prior.

While Chelsea forked out nearly £300 million in the summer transfer window, placing them among England’s most lavish spenders, Maresca still finds himself short in key areas.

Rank

Club

Gross Spend

Sales

Net Spend

20.

Bournemouth

£136.7m

£202.5m

+£65.8m

19.

Brighton

£67.7m

£127.5m

+£59.8m

18.

Brentford

£92.8m

£152m

+£59.2m

17.

Wolves

£105.6m

£126.5m

+£20.9m

16.

Chelsea

£296.5m

£314.4m

+£17.9m

Find the rest here…

This is particularly the case at centre-back, and reports suggest that Chelsea are set to prioritise a new defender in January as a result.

The likes of Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, who could reportedly re-join his former club on a cut-price deal in the winter, and Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano have both been discussed as options by Chelsea in that regard (Graeme Bailey).

Further forward, Chelsea are believed to be considering a new striker as well, as journalist Simon Phillips has reported, but any deal would be in the ‘cheaper’ bracket.

Phillips mentions Vlahovic as one option, and this is backed up by other media sources.

It is believed that Chelsea have already held talks with the Serbia international’s agents given his contract expires at the end of this season, and there’s now been another update.

Chelsea given fresh Dusan Vlahovic boost amid fresh stance

Speaking to The Chelsea Chronicle, reporter Graeme Bailey says that Maresca’s side have been offered the chance to do a deal in January.

Vlahovic, who apparently earns a staggering £370,000-per-week at Juve, is also ready to take a pay cut after renewing his stance in that regard — coming as a boost for Chelsea.

Ever since his breakout campaign in 2020/2021, Vlahovic has managed at least 14 goals per season, often far more.

The ex-Fiorentina “superstar” has also scored in big Champions League games against the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Man City in the last two campaigns, so the prospect of signing him for below £20 million is a pretty enticing one.

If Chelsea do make a move, Vlahovic’s potential wage cut will be key, as Chelsea’s current highest earning first-team player is Reece James on £250,000-per-week.

This doesn’t include ‘bomb squad’ member Raheem Sterling, who takes home roughly £325,000-per-week.

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ByCharlie Smith