Chelsea fail with £52 million bid to sign Arsenal and Manchester United target: Reports

Chelsea have reportedly seen a £52 million offer for Dusan Vlahovic rejected by Juventus, according to Football London. The striker is also attracting interest from Arsenal and Manchester United.

Vlahovic has emerged as one of the most sought-after players in the current transfer window. Juventus, on the other hand, aren't keen on standing in the way of him leaving should their valuation be met.

The 23-year-old striker still has three years left on his current contract with the Turin-based club, after securing a move in January last year from Fiorentina.

Recall that the Old Ladies splashed a whooping transfer fee in the region of £66.6 million to bring the Serbian striker to Turin. Despite signing a four-and-a-half-year contract with Juve, it hasn't stopped clubs from admiring the big centre-forward, who bagged 10 Serie A goals last season.

One club who have already shown interest in Dusan Vlahovic happens to be Premier League giants Chelsea. The Blues have even had an offer for the player rejected by Juventus.

Mauricio Pochettino's side are currently in the market for a proven center-forward this summer and have identified Vlahovic as a suitable option.

However, there seems to be a huge disparity between Chelsea's first offer of £52 million and Juventus' purported asking price of £77 million for the big Serbian center-forward.

Meanwhile, the Blues aren't expected to have a free run at Vlahovic's signature as they could face stiff competition from fellow Premier League sides in Arsenal and Manchester United.

Arsenal and United are also in the market for a new striker, and Vlahovic falls into the bracket of elite forwards who could be bought at a decent price this summer.

It will be interesting to see how Juventus handle the situation involving their striker amid interest from the three Premier League giants.

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Alternatives to Dusan Vlahovic that Chelsea could sign this summer

Vlahovic against Atalanta - Serie A

Chelsea have seen their first attempt to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic get outrightly rejected. It is still left to be seen whether they will return with an improved bid or look for other options.

However, in the current transfer market, getting an elite striker in the mold of Vlahovic could not only be difficult but an expensive task. Although, the Blues themselves have shown to have enough deep pockets to spend on suitable targets.

Other options that Chelsea could explore as alternatives to Vlahovic could include the trio of Victor Osihmhen, Randal Kolo Muani, and possibly Rasmus Højlund.

The first two names would undoubtedly cost the Blues a fortune to sign, going by the asking price of their club sides Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt, respectively.

However, Atalanta youngster Hojlund seems to be the cheaper alternative among the trio. He ended last season with 10 goals across all competitions for Atalanta.

Osimhen, on the other hand, bagged 31 goals for Italian champions, Napoli, in all competitions, while Kolo Muani finished the 2022-23 season with 23 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt.