Juventus are holding out for €80m for striker Dusan Vlahovic, a sum which seems almost impossible given how much he’s struggled since arriving there 18 months ago.
Today the Italian press, as cited by Football Italia, put a new idea on the table. Chelsea could offer their own disappointing striker Romelu Lukaku in part exchange for Vlahovic.
It’s quite a funny idea – both sides getting rid of the big money number 9 they signed last season and feeling like they’re getting a good deal, then getting the other team’s flop in return.
Football is a funny old game however, and it could well be that just trading places works for both players. We’ve seen that Lukaku seems to play better in Serie A, and it seems plausible that Vlahovic could thrive in a new team in the Premier League.
Perhaps this idea isn’t as silly as it seems at first? Lukaku has created problems with the Chelsea fans which will make returning to play in the team extremely difficult. Vlahovic might not end up being any better on the pitch, but he at least hasn’t wound up his own supporters.
Swap deals never seem to happen in football anyway, but given the circumstances, this one makes more sense than most of them. Sometimes in life a change is as good as a rest, and both Lukaku and Vlahovic seem in big need of a rest.
