Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Chelsea given green light to sign Juventus star with agent ‘looking for new club’

Federico Bernardeschi, Chelsea target Matthijs De Ligt and Weston McKennie

Chelsea have seemingly been given the green light to pursue a Juventus star worth over £60million amid claims that his agent is ‘looking for a new club’ for him.

Thomas Tuchel’s side had a fairly quiet January transfer window as they did not bring any senior players in. The only new faces at Stamford Bridge are youngsters Dylan Williams and Mason Burstow, following their moves from Derby County and Charlton Athletic respectively.

The savings Chelsea have made could set them up for a big summer with numerous targets in their sights.

In contrast, Italian giants Juventus spent €75m (£62.5m) to land striker Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina.

The 22-year-old had been on Arsenal’s radar but the Gunners were ultimately unsuccessful in convincing him to join.

On his transfer to the Allianz Stadium, Vlahovic said: “I am emotional and proud to have signed for Juventus.

“I am ready to give my all for this glorious club to reach its objectives. There were many rumours about foreign clubs, but the choice was easy because the club and I have a similar DNA.

“Fight and suffer when needed. I think it’s part of my mentality as well, so the choice was not difficult. I fit in here.”

Juve expenditure gives Chelsea hope

The Bianconeri’s large expenditure on Vlahovic looks set to give Chelsea a boost as they pursue a Juve star.

According to The Sun, who cite Italian outlet Tuttosport, Max Allegri’s team now needs to save money and is unwilling to offer Matthijs de Ligt a new contract.

They do not want to fork out more than £190,000 per week on the centre-back’s wages. This means he could be sold in the summer.

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de Ligt’s agent, Mino Raiola, is now actively ‘looking for a new club’ for his client, which is where Chelsea come in.

As per recent reports, Blues director Marina Granovskaia is ‘confident’ of capturing the Netherlands international.

And the deal could involve a huge £37m saving. de Ligt’s release clause sits at €125m (£104m), but La Repubblica now state he can leave for €80m (£67m).

Blues starlet backed to replace Lukaku

Meanwhile, young Chelsea striker Armando Broja has been backed to eventually replace Romelu Lukaku at Stamford Bridge.

Broja is currently on loan at Southampton, after joining Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men in search of regular game time over the summer. And after a slow start, he is starting to make a real impact at St Mary’s.

The 20-year-old has five goals to his name plus an assist in his 18 league appearances. Broja also notched twice in as many EFL Cup games for Saints.

And according to his former Vitesse team-mate Thomas Bruns, Broja could cope taking over from the Belgian.

Bruns told Voetbalzone: “Thirty million I did not expect, but I did expect that he would end up at a good club.

“He sees Mason Mount as his example. He also did well at Vitesse [on loan] and is now a key player at Chelsea.

“No shocking numbers, but apart from those ten goals, he has shown what other qualities he has. I think he can make it to the first team at Chelsea within four years.

“That will also be his goal. They will need a new striker anyway if Lukaku wants to move on in the long run. I think he could do that.”

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