Arsenal's Jesus replacement plan suffers blow as Chelsea look to hijack transfer

Chelsea are ready to rival Arsenal for Dusan Vlahovic in a move which could put a huge dent in the Gunners' January plans, it has been claimed.

Arsenal's need for attacking reinforcements has grown more urgent in recent weeks. After Bukayo Saka was ruled out for a lengthy period following hamstring surgery, the club confirmed Gabriel Jesus is sidelined with an ACL injury.

That leaves Mikel Arteta's side thin up front, and a renewed push for Vlahovic has been suggested as a solution. The Gunners attempted to sign the Serbian international from Fiorentina in January 2022, but he opted for Juve instead.

The Turin side might be prepared to sell for the right price, potentially giving Arsenal a solution to their injury woes. However, if the latest reports are to be believed, their fellow Londoners Chelsea could throw a spanner in the works.

"We are actively looking at the market to improve the squad," Arteta said before the extent of Jesus' injury was confirmed. "We have been doing that since day one. We would be naive to not do that, because it's an opportunity to evolve and improve the squad."

According to The Times, Vlahovic is not an immediate target for Arsenal despite the Gunners being urged to revive their interest. The same publication suggests Chelsea could move for the 24-year-old with summer signing Renato Veiga moving in the opposite direction.

Vlahovic scored 18 goals in all competitions last season and already has 12 this term. Just seven of those have come in Serie A, though, with Thiago Motta's side down in fifth despite going unbeaten across their first 21 matches.

Chelsea's links with Vlahovic come amid uncertainty over the future of Christopher Nkunku. French forward Nkunku is said to be keen on a return to the Bundesliga, where he scored 58 goals across his last two RB Leipzig seasons.

Nkunku missed the start of last season through injury and has played second fiddle to Nicolas Jackson this term. He has scored just twice in the league but has seven goals in as many Conference League games to help Enzo Maresca's Blues cruise into the round of 16.

Chelsea also continue to be linked with Alejandro Garnacho, who could be allowed to leave Manchester United this month. The winger's agents were spotted at Stamford Bridge on Monday night as Chelsea beat Wolves in the Premier League, though Napoli are also understood to be keen on a move.