Chelsea’s hunt for a new striker has not ended with the signing of Michy Batshuayi. Antonio Conte and the Blues have now offered £50 million to Premier League rivals Everton for their star striker Romelu Lukaku.
Antonio Conte has identified the Blues attack as an area that needs strengthening. The Italian manager prefers playing two strikers up front and will need three top quality forwards in his squad. Radamel Falcao and Alexandre Pato were released by the club, leaving Chelsea with a depleted strike force. The club are now on the hunt for another striker to provide competition to first-choice striker Diego Costa and new signing Michy Batshuayi. Meanwhile, Loic Remy is unlikely to figure in Conte’s plans for next season.
The Blues have reportedly had a €75 (£62) million bid for Spanish striker Alvaro Morata rejected by Real Madrid. The La Liga giants are intent on keeping one of Chelsea’s primary transfer targets, and the club have now turned their attentions in another direction.
The Premier League giants have made a bid of £50 million for their former striker Romelu Lukaku according to reputed Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio. The Belgian striker left Stamford Bridge for Everton in 2014 for £28 million and could now be set for a return for almost double that amount.
Romelu Lukaku has emerged as one of the best strikers in the Premier League over the past two seasons. The 23-year-old has amassed 61 goals in 127 appearances for Everton in all competitions. His power and physicality have helped him torment Premier League defences, while former club Chelsea have suffered from a dire lack of fire-power up front because of the inconsistency of Diego Costa.
The Belgium striker has attracted interest from a number of top clubs across Europe, including Arsenal and Chelsea. The player himself is keen on a move away from Everton in search of Champions League football, but the Toffees are not too keen to lose their star striker and have put a £65 million price tag on Lukaku. The Belgian’s contract at Goodison Park runs till 2019 and as such, Everton are in a strong position to negotiate.
However, Chelsea will not shy away from spending money. If the Toffees do not accept this initial bid, the Blues will likely come back with a better offer. Eventually the ambitions of the Belgian and a hefty transfer fee may well coax Everton to let go of their star striker.