Next Chelsea striker: Boehly leaves Man Utd in clear for lethal attacker after deciding 92-goal star is better option

Chelsea will no longer battle Manchester United for the signing of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen after opting to go after a different Serie A star instead, according to a report.

Osimhen has been linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe amid his sensational season with Napoli. He has scored 25 times in 29 matches, helping Napoli put themselves in a great position to win the Serie A title and also reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Chelsea, Man Utd and Paris Saint-Germain have been named as the main clubs pursuing the Nigerian. Chelsea and Man Utd would probably have a better chance at signing him than PSG as the attacker has been open about his desire to play in the Premier League.

But it does not look like Chelsea will battle Man Utd for Osimhen. According to Italian source Juve Live, Chelsea have decided on Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic as their next centre-forward instead.

Juve have decided they will Vlahovic in the summer if the right bid comes in. They value the Serbian at between €70-80million (£61-70m).

The Bianconeri selling Vlahovic for that upper fee of £70m would see them make a slight profit on the star. As per Sky Sports, Juve spent £66.6m when capturing him from Fiorentina in January last year.

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The report claims Chelsea will begin the bidding for Vlahovic by putting €50m (£44m) plus Christian Pulisic on the table. But it is unlikely Juve will accept this opening proposal, so Blues chairman Todd Boehly will probably have to hold a few rounds of talks before taking Vlahovic to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are not the only English club keeping tabs on the 23-year-old. Juve Live put Tottenham on his trail as well.

Chelsea, Tottenham eyeing up Juventus man

Spurs are identifying potential striker replacements for Harry Kane. But if the England captain remains in north London, then Chelsea will have a free run at Vlahovic.

The Juve ace would be a great signing for Chelsea. He has a keen eye for goal, as shown by his career record which stands at 92 goals from 209 appearances.

Vlahovic was in devastating form during his time at Fiorentina, netting 21 strikes in 37 league games during the 2020-21 season. That tally even led to comparisons with fellow striker Erling Haaland.

Vlahovic has not been quite as efficient in a Juve shirt. But he still holds his reputation as one of the most deadly strikers in Europe and could soon arrive in England to cause Prem defenders all sorts of problems.

Vlahovic’s arrival would solve a major issue at Chelsea. Under Graham Potter the west London outfit created lots of chances but did not have a striker there to finish them off.

Vlahovic would convert such chances and could also create a brilliant attacking partnership with the likes of Kai Havertz and Joao Felix, with the latter hoping to make his Chelsea loan permanent.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are refusing to sell an attacker to a European giant on the cheap, according to a report.