What’s the story?
Chelsea have earmarked a club-record swoop for Everton striker Romelu Lukaku in the summer as per reports in The Sun. The Belgian may make a return to Stamford Bridge if current Blues striker, Diego Costa, moves to China.
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The reported deal to bring back Lukaku is expected to be around £56 million, making it a club record and exactly twice the amount Everton shelled out for him three years ago.
In case you didn’t know...
Romelu Lukaku signed for Chelsea in 2011 from Belgian club Anderlecht and was touted as one of the best young players and heir-apparent to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba. However, lack of playing time meant he managed only 10 league appearances for the Blues and was sent out on two successful loan spells to West Brom and Everton.
Everton eventually signed him for a club-record £28 million in 2014 while Diego Costa became the main man at Stamford Bridge.
The heart of the matter
Costa’s head was reportedly turned in January when he received a mega offer from a club in the Chinese Super League, leading to an alleged training ground bust-up with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
Although the manager and player have come to an agreement for now as Chelsea are favourites to win the title, the long-term future of the Spaniard is in doubt at the London club. Conte sees Lukaku as a like-for-like replacement for Costa.
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Lukaku has been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge every summer since he left for Everton. However, the Diego Costa situation at Chelsea offers a genuine chance both for Chelsea to replace a very good striker with a potential world-class striker and for Lukaku to be at a club in the hunt for top prizes and make a name for himself on the European stage, an opportunity the Belgian does not have at Ronald Koeman’s Everton.
What’s next?
If Lukaku does leave Everton in the summer, it’ll leave the Toffees’ coffers richer but they will lose out on a genuine match-winner and a future world-class centre-forward. The Belgian's decision to leave the Merseyside club could also be decided by who the next manager at Everton is, as current manager Ronald Koeman has been linked with the managerial role at Barcelona.
Sportskeeda’s Take
The reported move to bring back Lukaku to the Bridge could be a masterstroke by Conte as the Belgian is an established striker who knows his way around the Premier League and plundered goals aplenty. This rumoured move looks like a match made in heaven.
