Having finally become resigned to the fate that Erling Haaland is not coming over this summer, Chelsea have turned elsewhere in their pursuit of a centre forward.
It’s a familiar name, as he was a previously a Chelsea player, albeit only for a short time, in Inter Milan hit man Romelu Lukaku. Inter insist Big Rom is not for sale, at any price, but considering the type of money that owner Roman Abramovich is prepared to throw down, they might have to change their minds.
Chelsea formal bid for Romelu Lukaku has been confirmed by CFC sources too. €100m guaranteed and Marcos Alonso, turned down as Inter want to keep Lukaku. ? #CFC
Inter expect Chelsea to try again for Lukaku. He’s currently under contract until 2024 – €7.5m net per season.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 3, 2021
As you can see from the tweet embedded above, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported Chelsea offering a tremendous amount of cash, plus Marcos Alonso for the big Belgian, but the Serie A champions said no. It is understood that Stamford Bridge will return with a bigger offer.
Sky Sport Italia reporter Angelo Mangiante has posted an offer/amount that could actually get the Romelu Lukaku deal over the line.
Given Inter’s well-documented struggles financially, this could be an offer they don’t want to refuse.
The first official bid was €100M + Marcos Alonso and it was rejected by Inter.
If the next #Chelsea's offer for #Lukaku will be around €120m + Marcos Alonso could be different and it would be very difficult for Inter to say no. Lukaku has not yet said no. @SkySport #Transfers— Angelo Mangiante (@angelomangiante) August 3, 2021
Alonso, who reported to training yesterday, will wear the captain’s armband, on occasion this season. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, he leads all Premier League defenders in goals with 15. He’d be a great thrown in for this potential swap deal.
If Chelsea can’t bring back Romelu Lukaku, then it’s possible they might pursue Bayern Munich scoring sensation Robert Lewandowski.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
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