Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku should have been a ‘perfect fit’ at Stamford Bridge, but the Inter Milan loanee’s move to west London failed to go to plan ‘from day one’, journalist Paul Brown has told GIVEMESPORT.
The Blues forked out a then-club record fee of £97.5million to sign the Belgium international in August 2021, but he struggled to make a major impact upon his return to familiar surroundings.
Chelsea transfer news – Romelu Lukaku
According to Italian media outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, Lukaku is unlikely to be included in Chelsea’s squad when he heads back to the capital from Inter in the summer.
The report suggests the striker does not feature in the plans of Graham Potter, who was appointed as the west Londoners’ head coach last September, while the hierarchy also do not see him as part of their ongoing project.
Lukaku joined Inter on loan for the 2022/23 campaign for a fee of £6.9million, plus £3.5million in bonuses if they win the Serie A title, but the agreement does not include an obligation to buy.
Speaking to Sky, via MailOnline, Inter chief executive Beppe Marotta has revealed that the former Manchester United man wants to remain at the San Siro beyond the end of the season.
Respected journalist Simon Phillips recently told GIVEMESPORT that Chelsea are keen to negotiate another loan or permanent switch as Lukaku and his parent club have no intention of reuniting.
What has Paul Brown said about Lukaku?
Brown expected Lukaku to be a smash hit when he returned to Chelsea for a second spell, having initially joined in a £20million deal from Anderlecht in 2011.
But the journalist believes the writing was on the wall from the early stages of his time back in west London due to being unable to adjust to the Blues’ style of play.
Brown told GIVEMESPORT: “He had worked on all the little weaknesses he had and become a much more complete player. He looked a perfect fit.
“But, from day one, it just didn’t really work out. He scored a few goals at the beginning of his time at Chelsea and some of them were great strikes, but the whole way the team operates just didn’t really seem to work for him.”
Should Chelsea sell Lukaku in the summer?
Lukaku scored 15 goals in 44 appearances last season, according to Transfermarkt, but Chelsea were expecting significantly higher figures after parting with a huge sum of money.
The 29-year-old’s permanent departure would be best for all parties, but it is not going to be easy attempting to find a buyer who is willing to match his £350,000-per-week salary.
Lukaku has found it difficult to make an impact since returning to Inter, finding the back of the net just four times as injuries have halted his progress.
Chelsea will be hoping that the Belgian will enjoy an impressive goalscoring run between now and the end of the season as that would increase his value and potentially result in suitors heading to the negotiating table.
A record of 121 goals in 278 Premier League outings shows that Lukaku is capable of being a serious threat in the final third of the pitch, but it is likely that he has already made his final Chelsea appearance.
