Chelsea in talks with No.9 tipped to become club’s record signing
Romelu Lukaku will make a decision on his future after Euro 2020 after Chelsea reportedly held talks with the striker’s agent.
The Inter Milan forward is currently on holiday before reporting for Holland’s pre-tournament training camp. The 28-year-old’s future with Inter is in doubt after coach Antonio Conte left the club. The pair have developed a close relationship after meeting in 2014 and Lukaku posted a statement about the Italian on Instagram.
“2014 we spoke for the first time and we have had a bond ever since. We had many moments to work together but only god knows why it never happened earlier,” wrote Lukaku. “You came at the right time and basically changed me as a player and made me even stronger mentally and more importantly we won together…
“Thank you for what you did. I owe you a lot.”
Both Chelsea and Manchester have been linked with a move for the 30-goal forward. And as per Corriere dello Sport, the newly-crowned Serie A champions are in fact willing to sell – but only if the price is right. They have stated Lukaku will be allowed to leave should anyone match their €120m (£102.9m) asking price.
And now Het Laatste Nieuws report that Chelsea have made a move be reaching out to Lukaku’s agent Federico Pastorello. The Belgian source claim Lukaku, who is contracted until 2024, will resolve his future with the Nerazzurri after the European Championships.
Furthermore, “Chelsea has already put a line to his agent” but have yet to make a concrete offer, however a transfer is possible.
Thomas Tuchel is on the hunt for a new N0.9 but the Blues will have to make a heavy investment if they want to bring back Lukaku. After selling him to Everton for £28m in 2014 they will have to quadruple that to re-sign him.
HLN report that Chelsea “will probably have to make him their most expensive acquisition and highest paid player ever”.
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Conte to lure Lukaku
That will mean departures at Stamford Bridge with Tuchel set to offload a number of fringe players to finance a transfer for Lukaku.
Lukaku though has also been tipped to follow Conte.
Multiple reports claim the Italian boss has already held positive talks with Spurs. And one of these sources, La Stampa, claims Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has already offered Conte a huge package. Spurs’ offer is reportedly between €15m and €20m per year.
However, it’s not just a hefty salary for himsef he’d want were he to come to Tottenham.
According to an article in the Daily Express, Conte could well ask Levy to fund transfer raids for three Inter stars. And they speculate that the name at the top of that list is Lukaku.
READ MORE: Timo Werner issues defiant self-defence as he debunks Chelsea exit talk
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