Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has claimed Chelsea made an offer to sign Dusan Vlahovic over the summer, but the Blues failed to meet their demands.
The Blues held an interest in the Serbia striker though ended the summer transfer window with only one new number nine - Villarreal's Nicolas Jackson.
90min reported at the beginning of August that Juve had proposed sending Vlahovic to Chelsea in part-exchange for the want-away Romelu Lukaku. However, the two sides couldn't come to an agreement, while Lukaku would eventually join Roma on a season-long loan instead.
In an interview with La Repubblica, Giuntoli opened up on these negotiations with the Blues.
"There was an offer from Chelsea for Vlahovic. We didn't want to sell Dusan, but given certain numbers we would have accepted," he said.
"Chelsea never reached that figure, and the [Lukaku] exchange never took place."
Vlahovic has made a flying start to the new season, scoring four goals in six Serie A games for Juventus. The Bianconeri currently sit in fourth but could end the weekend in the top three with a win away at Atalanta.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have struggled so far under Mauricio Pochettino. The Blues have won only one of their opening six Premier League games, scoring five goals in that time. They have, however, advanced to round four of the Carabao Cup, beating Brighton & Hove Albion last week.
90min reported last week Chelsea were continuing to monitor the situation of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen amid the controversy of a disparaging TikTok posted by the club.
Osimhen had considered taking legal action against Napoli but reaffirmed his commitment to the club with a unifying statement on Sunday suggesting he wants to stay.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Juventus sporting director explains why Chelsea failed to sign Dusan Vlahovic.