Chelsea are reportedly ready to up the ante in their pursuit of Romelu Lukaku but will have to pay a club-record transfer fee of £105 million for the Belgian.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Chelsea are intent on securing a reunion with former striker Romelu Lukaku in the upcoming transfer window but will have to pay a humungous transfer fee of £105 million to sign him from Inter Milan.
Lukaku signed for Chelsea from Belgian outfit RSC Anderlecht back in the summer of 2011 in a deal worth £18 million. However, he never really got a fair shot at first-team opportunities at Stamford Bridge. After loan spells away at West Bromwich Albion and Everton, he joined the latter on a permanent deal in 2014 and went on to establish himself as one of the best strikers in the Premier League.
Lukaku joined Manchester United in 2017 and enjoyed a productive two-year stint before moving to Inter Milan. Since joining the Nerazzurri, the Belgian international has taken his game to the next level and has cemented his status as one of the top goalscorers in Europe. Indeed, the 27-year-old has been the biggest driving force behind Inter’s ascent to the top of the Serie A standings this season.
Given his development since leaving the club in 2014, Chelsea are now keen on bringing Lukaku back to the club in the upcoming summer transfer window. The Blues are desperately looking for a new centre-forward ahead of the new season with last summer’s marquee signing Timo Werner failing to make the kind of impact that was expected of him.
Indeed, Werner’s confidence looks completely shot as he has missed a host of gilt-edged chances over the course of the season. Throw in the uncertain futures of both Olivier Giroud, whose contract expires at the end of the season, and Tammy Abraham, who could be sold for a transfer fee of around £40 million, Chelsea will need to bring in a new and prolific goalscorer as they look to challenge for the league title under Thomas Tuchel.
While Erling Haaland has been linked, Chelsea have given up their pursuit of the Borussia Dortmund star. Harry Kane is another name that is of interest to the Blues but the deal to sign him from Tottenham would be extremely difficult to pull off. As a result, they have now settled in on Lukaku as their top target and are set to step up their efforts to bring back the Belgian to Stamford Bridge.
Four potential destinations for Romelu Lukaku | THT Opinions
The fact that Lukaku has already proven himself in England, and at 27, is in the best years of his career, makes him the ideal fit for Chelsea. Inter Milan owner Steven Zhang has flown to Italy this week to discuss the future of the striker and it being claimed that the Serie A leaders will demand a transfer fee of at least £105 million for him.
Having failed to re-sign him in 2017, it will be interesting to see if Chelsea are successful in their efforts to reunite with Lukaku ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.
