Chelsea have been beset with forward issues for a considerable amount of time, with a score of strikers failing to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge across the past few decades.

What’s the word?

Frontal failings are not always the case in west London, and with Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic touted, the Serbian finisher fits the profile to adopt the talismanic role at Stamford Bridge and soar at the front of the Chelsea ship. 

Earlier this week, CBS Sports correspondent Ben Jacobs released a revealing tweet about the forward’s situation at Juventus, hinting at the possibility of a transfer come the new year.

He said: “Told there is a very real possibility Dusan Vlahovic will leave Juventus in 2023. A January exit is not being ruled out by those close to him. Several top European clubs are in touch with his agent, including Chelsea, although nothing particularly advanced at this point.”

Offensive issues finally fixed?

Since emerging onto the scene in the Italian Serie A with Fiorentina several years ago, Vlahovic has gone from strength to strength and last year earned his move to giants Juventus last January, signing for a fee of roughly £64m.

And although a bid to prise him away from Juventus’ clutches would need to be lucrative, there are indications that his long-term future does not lie at the Allianz Stadium, with Chelsea hoping of injecting a talented striker into their fold.

Having only scored 17 goals across 14 league fixtures this term, and currently sitting in eighth place in the Premier League, Chelsea are in dire need of roaring back into life.

Additionally, news of Armando Broja’s season-ending injury has recently seeped into Blues’ news, with an ACL injury ruling the striker out for over half a year.

Last season, the 22-year-old Vlahovic scored 29 times and assisted six more across 45 appearances, switching to The Old Lady midway through the campaign. 

And the preceding term, the Serb truly etched his name into eminence in Italy by scoring 21 times across 37 Serie A outings for the Viola, stamping his name into the conversation for the globe’s best forwards right from the maiden stage of his career. 

The “monster”, as described by Zarko Lazetic, has truly emerged as a supreme talent, and should Chelsea decide to pluck him from a Juventus team struggling to find form and direction, they would yield one of the most prolific young stars in the game, and still yet to fully emerge at the zenith of his ability. 

Indeed, having scored seven goals and two assists across 15 club appearances this season, also starring for Serbia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the £68.8m-rated gem is well on the way to unearthing his full potential.

For Serbia, the 19-cap ace has already scored ten times, and in Qatar scored once from his two appearances in the group phase, only starting in the closing fixture against Switzerland. 

Having averaged 1.5 shots per match and won 56% of his duels, Vlahovic demonstrated on the pitch the level of hype behind his name, indeed backing it up despite Serbia’s failure in qualifying for the knockout stage.

With Chelsea interested, the head is often swayed in the direction of Stamford Bridge, and despite only signing for Juventus last year, who currently sit in third place in the Italian top-flight, ten points behind leaders Napoli, plying his trade in the Premier League under Graham Potter’s tutelage could be an opportunity too big to miss for this clinical marksman.