Chelsea have a striker.
Liam Delap arrived from Ipswich twelve months ago, scoring 12 Premier League goals in his debut season.
However, he only managed 1 goal for Chelsea last season.
And Xabi Alonso is not satisfied with what he has.
But the name that has risen to the top of the shortlist is one the market has been waiting for all summer.
Chelsea identify Dusan Vlahovic as priority as Xabi Alonso looks to reshape attack
According to CaughtOffside, sources close to the agents industry have confirmed that Vlahovic has emerged as Chelsea’s primary striker target, with the club seriously exploring whether to bring in the Serbian international as a free agent following his departure from Juventus.
TEAMtalk had previously reported that Chelsea made contact with Vlahovic’s representatives earlier in the summer.
This update confirms that interest has since hardened into genuine priority.
The free agent angle is what makes the deal so compelling from Chelsea’s perspective.
No transfer fee.
And no competing bids driving the price up.
Just wages, and the belief that a proven, physically dominant striker can finally give Alonso’s attack the focal point it needs.
Vlahovic scored 16 goals in Serie A last season despite Juventus’s inconsistency.
Contributing 68 goals in total across 153 appearances in Turin over four seasons.
He has the physicality, the movement and the finishing range to operate at the highest level in English football.
The question is whether the wages package makes sense for a Chelsea side that has spent heavily in recent years and is now trying to recruit with more financial discipline.
Other options remain on the table.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins is a proven Premier League alternative.
Though Villa have made clear he is not for sale at any price below £60 million.
Brentford’s Igor Thiago is being monitored as a longer-term option.
Victor Osimhen remains the superstar alternative, though any deal for the Nigerian would carry enormous financial complexity.
For now, Vlahovic leads the way.
A free agent.
And a striker who could walk through the door without Chelsea spending a single pound on a transfer fee.
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