Chelsea have made formal contact with Dusan Vlahovic’s representatives over a potential free transfer move from Juventus this summer, according to CaughtOffside.
The Serbian striker is set to leave Turin after contract renewal talks with Juventus broke down, making him one of the most sought-after free agents in European football.
Vlahovic first made his name at Fiorentina, where a string of standout performances convinced Juventus to make a significant financial commitment to sign him.
The 25-year-old departs Juventus having scored 68 goals and contributed 16 assists across 168 appearances for the club during what has been an injury-disrupted spell.
He produced 17 goals and five assists across all competitions in the previous season, but his output declined this campaign with just 12 goal involvements.
Persistent injuries severely hampered his rhythm this season, with Vlahovic missing 133 games through fitness problems during the recently concluded campaign.
CaughtOffside reports that Chelsea are among the most advanced contenders in the race to sign the 6ft 2in forward ahead of the summer window.
The Blues face fierce competition from Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Napoli and AC Milan for his signature.
From a statistical standpoint, Vlahovic compares favourably to current Chelsea striker Liam Delap, who managed just one goal in 28 Premier League appearances during the 2025/26 campaign.
Vlahovic scored seven goals in 19 Serie A matches, while also posting a superior shots-on-target rate of 47.4% compared to Delap’s 42.3% in domestic league action.
His 14.3% conversion rate comfortably surpassed Delap’s 2.8%, while Vlahovic also registered 83 touches inside the opposition penalty area compared to Delap’s 67.
Vlahovic also edged Delap in ground-duel success rate, recording 43.6% against the Englishman’s 37.6% in league action last season.
The more significant question for Chelsea, however, may not be his quality but whether Vlahovic would be willing to accept a role similar to Delap’s within the squad hierarchy.