It’s the off-season for all club competition, almost all of the international play currently being staged are just meaningless friendlies, so you know what that means? It is indeed the summer silly season, i.e. time to talk some transfer rumors.
So with that in mind, let’s dive right in to the latest narratives surrounding Chelsea FC. Today, we’re giving you a double shot of Blues news, transfer style. For the second part, covering Gaga Slonina, go here.
In this post, we’ll start by covering Robert Lewandowski. We’ve chronicled the process of the Polish powerhouse’s potential next move previously, at this link and at this link.
FC Barcelona is the dream destination for the living legend striker, The Sun claims that Manchester United and Chelsea “will join the race” for the Bayern Munich icon “if his dream move to Barcelona falls flat.”
And while the Catalan Club are extremely interested, their dire financial situation could obstruct a deal from getting done.
The Sun goes on to say that the 33-year-old’s “chances of signing look doomed, even though the fee would be a maximum of £20m.”
That fee makes sense, given the age of Lewandowski, but his salary demands will still be understandably sky high. Chelsea are keen again, just as they were last summer when they knew Erling Haaland wasn’t coming over to Stamford Bridge.
With Haaland joining Manchester City, and Darwin Nunez going to Liverpool, the centre forward role is back in vogue as the focal point of the attack.
It’s not going to be all about the attacking midfielders/wingers anymore.
For all other league title aspirants, they better sign a central striker, in order to keep up, right?
Well, Chelsea did just that last summer, breaking their transfer fee record to sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan. It didn’t work out so well, as the big Belgian is now set to leave Chelsea, for the second time as a flop. And, spoiler alert, he’s likely headed back to Inter Milan.
However, as we’ve covered previously here, and also here, it’s complicated to say the least.
Big Rom cost big money, and that means a big salary, even though he was a big time bust. Inter is the only place he wants to go, and he’s willing to take a pay cut in order to return there.
The ball is rolling on this now, according to a tweet from Italian football transfer guru Fabrizio Romano:
“Inter are pushing to sign Romelu Lukaku this summer. The Belgian striker is now insisting with Chelsea to leave the club, he only wants Inter move. Talks ongoing on the potential loan fee between the two clubs, while Lukaku would be ready to reduce his salary.”
This move would be best for all parties involved.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.