No deal! Chelsea rule out including Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic in Romelu Lukaku swap deal as they seek to get rid of flop

Chelsea have ruled out signing Dusan Vlahovic in a swap deal for Romelu Lukaku as they want to sell the Belgian in a separate deal.

WHAT HAPPENED? Chelsea were considering bolstering their attack by signing Vlahovic from Juventus in exchange for Lukaku but have now backed out of the swap deal, according to multiple reports. They now want to sell the Belgian international separately either in Europe or to a Saudi Arabian club.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the Blues were €15 million (£13m/$16.5m) short of Juventus' €40m (£34.5m/$44m) demands for a player-plus-cash deal. Due to that disparity, the Premier League side decided to look at alternatives.

AND WHAT'S MORE: Other than Chelsea, Real Madrid are also reportedly keen on signing the Serbian forward to add more firepower in their attack. They signed Joselu earlier in this summer after talisman Karim Benzema left the club.

WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? Mauricio Pochettino's side will begin their 2023-24 Premier League journey against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool on Sunday.