Pochettino tells Chelsea to sign £34m striker who is refusing a new contract, deal now close

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Negotiations between Chelsea and Juventus for Dusan Vlahovic are now intensifying after Mauricio Pochettino made a decision on the striker.

That is according to Sport Media Set.

So, what is the situation involving Chelsea and Dusan Vlahovic? Let’s take a look…

What’s the story?

Well – according to the Guardian – Pochettino was unsure about bringing the Serbia international to Stamford Bridge.

Fabrizio Romano added that talks are ongoing between Chelsea and Juventus, with the Blues happy to leave the final decision up to the Argentine.

Now – according to Sport Media Set – Pochettino has decided that he does want Vlahovic in west London.

The Italian news outlet believe talks are now hotting up as Chelsea focus their attention on the 23-year-old.

Sport Media Set add that Vlahovic himself is refusing to sign a new contract at the Allianz Stadium, and Juventus need to make a large sale due to financial reasons, so the Italian giants are hoping for Chelsea to help them out.

It sounds like the Blues plan to do exactly that – with Romelu Lukaku heading to Juventus in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

Sport Media Set believe Chelsea have only offered €30m (£26m) and the Belgian so far, with Juventus holding out for €40m (£34m) and also the 30-year-old striker.

Interestingly, the report actually states that the “next few hours” could be decisive.

Vlahovic to Chelsea could speed up other deals

In our view, Chelsea signing Vlahovic – and crucially offloading Lukaku as well – could speed up the club’s other transfer pursuits.

Lukaku earns an astonishing £350,000-a-week at Chelsea, which makes him the highest earner at Stamford Bridge, and also means he is a huge burden on Financial Fair Play regulations.

However, if that salary is removed, and Vlahovic is put on a wage packet worth far less, the savings could potentially be used to pay another top talent to join Chelsea.

Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as talks between Chelsea and Juventus being to accelerate.