Following the news that Inter Milan had pulled out of the race to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea, the door was left wide open for Juventus.
The Champions League finalists’ change of heart means that the Belgium international only has a few options left, with the Turin side and some clubs in Saudi Arabia queuing up for his services.
Journalist Alberto Mauro brings the latest on Monday on the situation in a chat with TV Play, where he reveals a few details about what is going on behind the scenes for the Chelsea player.
The problem that Juventus face at this moment in time is that they can only move for Lukaku if they manage to sell Dusan Vlahovic, who has been courted on and off by a number of clubs.
Still, Mauro believes that if the Serbian striker is sold, then the Serie A club will go all out for the Chelsea forward, whom they see as the ideal replacement.
He said: “Given Lukaku’s decisions in recent times, I wouldn’t be surprised if he opened the door to a move to Saudi Arabia, and nor can we exclude a turnaround to go back to Inter. Juventus will seriously try, but the fit, as we know it, depends on Vlahovic. For Lukaku, €35m will be enough to close the deal.
“For Vlahovic, it’s more complicated, because €80m are needed. PSG were hot until yesterday, but the track has cooled a bit today. The deadline is August 4th to close the two transaction, meaning there is little time, especially for a transfer as important as that of Vlahovic.”
Therefore, we know when Juventus want a deal done by, meaning that, for the time being, Lukaku will have to return to Chelsea’s squad and bide his time.
