Transfer news - Romelu Lukaku tells Inter Milan to accept Chelsea offer as he wants move – Reports
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Updated 04/08/2021 at 19:54 GMT
The forward used to dream of playing at the club where his idol Didier Drogba played, but the first time around things just didn't work out. Now it seems that he is going to be given another opportunity with reports suggesting that he has told his club he wants to make the move back to South West London.
Romelu Lukaku, Inter 2020-2021 (Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku has reportedly told his team to accept a bid from Chelsea as he wants a transfer.
Lukaku, 28, joined Chelsea as a teenager but failed to make an impact in the first-team, joining Everton then Manchester United and eventually Inter.
His career was rejuvanted under Antonio Conte in Italy, scoring 24 goals (the second most in Serie A in 2020/21) as he led Inter to the league title.
However Conte left over disagreements about transfers and key player Achraf Hakimi has already joined PSG.
Widespread reports from English media say that Lukaku has informed Inter he wishes to return to Chelsea and has asked them to accept the bid the Premier League club have made. A contrast to his stance in the past where he was willing to stay put and not rock the boat.
Inter have reportedly turned down a bid of €100 million plus Marcos Alonso and value Lukaku closer to €115-120 million.
That fee would be a record for Chelsea and possibly all Premier League clubs depending on the final fee of Jack Grealish’s move to Manchester City.
Lukaku reportedly feels he has unfinished business at Chelsea, where he wants to emulate his idol Didier Drogba and is very interested in working with Blues boss Thomas Tuchel.
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Romelu Lukaku
Image credit: Getty Images
He has reportedly begun house-hunting and will earn around £250,000-a-week.
Last season Chelsea relied predominantly on Timo Werner with Tammy Abraham relegated to the bench under Tuchel. But Werner was inconsistent and compatriot Kai Havertz got playing time up front, including scoring the winner in the Champions League final.
Our view – Smart move all-round
Chelsea need a striker, everyone can see that. They were never going to get Harry Kane and it seems that Erling Haaland is staying put this season. After that do Chelsea want to get into a salary bidding war with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Manchester City? Robert Lewandowksi is an option as well but he is a short-term one.
That leaves Lukaku as the only one of the four elite and available strikers as the best match for Chelsea. He has a strong connection with Chelsea fans and clearly wants to come back to the club.
Tactically it works as well. His hold-up play has come on leaps and bounds and he is far more versatile than he used to be. Don’t be surprised if Tuchel occasionally gets him moving wide to create room in the middle for a player like Werner, similar to how Antonio Conte had him operate with Lautaro Martinez.
Chelsea nearly lost out on the top four because of their failure to take chances. There will be no such issues with Lukaku.
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