Chelsea are ready to splurge €130 million for the services of Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku, who is not too keen on leaving Milan.
A recent report by Alfredo Pedulla has offered insight into Chelsea’s pursuit of a new striker. It appears the newly crowned European champions have allocated €130 million for their top goalscoring targets, with Erling Haaland being identified as the priority option for obvious reasons.
However, Borussia Dortmund are unwilling to budge from their €175 million demands, causing Chelsea to look towards their other main option in Romelu Lukaku. It appears the Blues are ready to splash €130 million, which is slightly more than what was thought to be Inter Milan’s asking fee for the highly-rated forward.
Chelsea have even made an informal approach to sign Lukaku and are open to using Timo Werner to sweeten the deal. But, it appears the Belgian international has no intention of leaving Milan, despite the departure of Antonio Conte this summer.
It serves as a massive blow for Chelsea, who are already finding it difficult to strike a deal with Dortmund for Haaland. Harry Kane, too, is not a realistic option, with Tottenham unwilling to offload their prized asset to a direct London rival. If he does move, the Englishman is most likely to join Manchester City, who are reportedly readying a stunning €160 million bid.
Nevertheless, Lukaku was certainly an excellent option due to his experience and proven track record in the Premier League. Most importantly, the Belgian international has significantly improved his game under Conte, boasting an incredible goalscoring tally that was critical in helping the Nerazzurri lift the Scudetto last season.
If his tally of 64 goals in under 100 competitive matches for Inter was not impressive enough, the former Anderlecht prodigy stands at 1.91m and has a physical stature that is tailor-made for the Premier League. But with the forward not too keen on leaving Milan, Chelsea now have to scour the market once again for a potential alternative.
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The Blues were linked with a move for Alexander Isak earlier in the summer, but it appears Thomas Tuchel favours more proven options like Haaland, Lukaku and Kane. Chelsea, though, were recently linked with a swoop for Stuttgart forward Sasa Kalajdzic, who is a viable option should the club opt to play the 2021/22 campaign without a star forward before entering the market once again next summer.
