What’s the story?
Romelu Lukaku will rebuff Manchester United for a return to his former club Chelsea, according to reports from The Sun.
The Red Devils are willing to pay wages of £200,000-a-week to bring the 23-year-old to Old Trafford this summer. However, the Belgium striker told his agent that he wants a dream move back to Stamford Bridge and is ready to accept lesser wages as compared to what United are prepared to offer him.
In case you didn’t know…
Lukaku joined Everton on loan from Chelsea in 2013, and later in the summer of 2014, he was sold to the Toffees for £28 million. Since joining Everton, the 23-year-old has scored 86 career goals in 163 appearances.
Chelsea attempted to re-sign the Belgian striker last summer, but their £68m offer was rejected by Everton.
The heart of the matter
Lukaku has already scored 24 goals this season and is leading in the race to win the Golden Boot. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year for the first time this year, which makes him a striker very much in demand at the moment.
Diego Costa’s relationship with Antonio Conte was strained when he told the manager that he wanted to leave the club for Atletico Madrid at the dawn of the season. The Chelsea striker was also linked with a move to the Chinese Super League in the winter but a deal failed to materialise. With the Spaniard's future still insecure, Lukaku is perhaps the ideal replacement for him this summer.
The Everton striker has refused to sign a new deal with the Toffees, and in return, his club have put a massive price tag of £100 million on him. Chelsea, however, are planning to offer £70 million for 23-year-old.
What’s next?
We recently saw how much criticism Paul Pogba went through at Manchester United, just because of his £89 million transfer fee. The same could happen with Lukaku if he moves to a bigger club for a hefty transfer fee.
A high price tag on Lukaku might introduce him to the high-pressure world. The striker currently is the leading goal scorer at Everton this season, but if he fails to do the same at Chelsea next season, he’ll be back to square one after building good momentum at Merseyside.
Author’s Take
The Blues should bring their former striker back to Stamford Bridge this summer. They might face competition from their rivals Manchester United, who are also trying to sign the 23-year-old, but considering Conte’s side will have Champions League football, something Lukaku desperately wants to play in, they should try and re-sign their former player.
