Chelsea are likely to wait until the summer before deciding on whether to make an offer for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs.

The Serbian is a target for the Blues, with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United having also been linked with the player, but Jacobs claims Graham Potter’s side won’t make a bid this month due to concerns about the forward’s fitness situation:

“Time is ticking away in January so I still sense that summer is going to be more likely. The other thing that clubs have to understand with Vlahovic is whether the groin injury that he picked up during the World Cup, which Juventus were kind of looking at in a bit more depth and beyond just one injury, is persistent.”

“The last thing, for example, Chelsea would want is to go for a player like Vlahovic, who would still come on big money and then find that there’s actually a persistent or chronic injury problem rather than just a one-off.”

When you consider Chelsea’s current injury problems, it seems wise to hold off on making an approach for Vlahovic, especially if his groin issue is unlikely to be resolved any time soon.

Reports in Italy suggest that Juve could hold out for around €90m (£79m) to sell the 22-year-old, and, if you are paying that sort of fee, you would want to be absolutely sure that you are signing a player who won’t spend lengthy spells on the treatment table.