Breaking- Juventus ultras show in Lukaku banner as Chelsea edge closer in completing Dusan Vlahovic deal
Chelsea are very close to signing Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus after Christopher Nkunku’s injury blow means Mauricio Pochettino’s side will undoubtedly need a new forward reinforcement.
Juventus fans are set against the signing of Romelu Lukaku with their Ultras group telling the Belgian striker in no uncertain terms to stay in Milan.
The Curva Sud displayed a banner outside the Allianz Stadium which read: ‘Lukaku stay in Milan, we already have a second goalkeeper.’
It references Lukaku’s accidental block of Roberto Dimarco’s goalbound effort in Inter Milan’s defeat to Manchester City in June’s Champions League final.
Lukaku, 30, spent last season on loan at Inter but his parent club Chelsea want to offload him with a potential part-exchange deal with Juve’s Dusan Vlahovic mooted.
But it seems Lukaku wouldn’t find favour with at least some of the Juventus support, with the potential exit of Vlahovic an unpopular move too.
Chelsea have left the No 9 shirt – which has come to be regarded as cursed after Lukaku, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Morata and Falcao all wore it – free this season.
Lukaku is training alone at Chelsea’s Cobham base with a personal coach because he doesn’t feature in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans.
He has been abandoned by his team-mates and now Juventus is his last chance to remain a protagonist in Europe.
A move to Saudi Arabia doesn’t warm his heart and he would like to continue playing for a leading European club with a few years left in his career.
According to the Italian media, this week is the decisive one because the new Serie A championship will begin in a few weeks and Lukaku will have to prepare with his new club.
The risk of a handicap start is real and the Belgian centre forward won’t want a repeat of last year’s early struggles. Chelsea will hold final talks with Juve with sources claiming Chelsea will have a breakthrough in Vlahovic.
