TAKE A LUK AT HIM NOW
Against all odds Rom is set for Blues return
ROMELU LUKAKU is the £97.5m dilemma facing incoming Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The Belgian striker WILL return to the club this summer and there is a real chance he could yet rebuild his career at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku, who turns 30 tomorrow, is expected to hold talks with manager-in-waiting Pochettino and also undergo pre-season training at Chelsea.
They will then make a decision on Lukaku’s long-term future but Inter Milan have no plans to make an offer to sign him permanently, despite having him on a season-long loan.
Lukaku rejoined Chelsea for a second spell in the summer of 2021 in a then-record £97.5m transfer from Inter, where he had just won the Serie A title.
However, Lukaku’s move turned sour after he gave a TV interview to Sky Italia when he admitted he was “not happy” and criticised former boss Thomas Tuchel and his tactics.
That made him unpopular with the fans, he fell out with Tuchel and the ex-Manchester United forward was seen as an expensive mistake.
He went back to Inter last summer on a season-long loan and at that point it was hard to imagine him ever returning to Chelsea after the fall-out.
However, Lukaku has had mixed fortunes this term – he was only a substitute in Inter’s Champions League semi-final with AC
Milan as Edin Džeko, 37, started of him – and he will not be staying in Italy.
But his next career move still remains uncertain, even if his first step will be going back to Chelsea.
Former Tottenham boss Pochettino is expected to be confirmed imminently as Chelsea’s new boss and, despite inheriting an oversized squad, they do not have an outand-out centre forward. Lukaku could fill that gap as, even though they have a buyback option on Roma’s former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, they are unlikely to want to spend big again and “Big Rom” could be the surprise solution.
Pochettino is facing several decisions this summer as he looks to reshape the squad and the club will be under pressure to balance the books and fit into spending rules after missing out on European football next season.
The obvious sales would be Mason Mount (inset), Conor Gallagher, Callum Hudsonahead Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, as selling homegrown players maximises their value in Financial Fair Play terms.
But Pochettino has gained a reputation as a manager who wants to build around homegrown talent and the club have not given up on keeping Mount.
They also want to tie down N’Golo Kante to a new deal as he is out of contract this summer and has been interesting clubs such as Arsenal.
But the No.1 priority will be to rebuild dressing room harmony – which could include getting Lukaku back into the fold.