Chelsea ‘confident’ of signing Romelu Lukaku ‘soon’ with star keen on club-record transfer

Chelsea: The first six fixtures of the 2021/22 Premier League

Chelsea are growing in confidence over the possibility of a summer move for Romelu Lukaku after seizing the upper hand in the battle for his signature, according to reports. The Inter Milan forward has been heavily linked with a return to Stamford Bridge ahead of the new campaign, with the newly-crowned European champions in desperate need of additional quality at the top of the pitch.

Kai Havertz was forced to adapt to a striking role towards the end of last season amid Timo Werner’s failure to hit the ground running.

Meanwhile, Tammy Abraham has seemingly been frozen out by Tuchel despite finishing the previous campaign as Chelsea’s joint-top scorer in all competitions.

Olivier Giroud has already left the club to join AC Milan on a permanent basis, leaving a spare seat in the dressing room for a top-class operator with the ability to lead a renewed Premier League title challenge.

Lukaku, who scored 24 league goals to help Inter seal a remarkable Serie A triumph last season, appears to be Chelsea’s top target ahead of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

The Blues are believed to have already seen a bid rebuffed by Inter, but the momentum seems to be in their favour as they weigh up an improved approach for the Belgian marksman.

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Chelsea are said to be confident that Lukaku will join the club (Image: GETTY)

He has reportedly asked Inter to accept a suitable offer from Chelsea in order to force through a move, and those in west London are confident that a deal can be quickly agreed, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

It is claimed that Chelsea remain in direct talks with Inter and are preparing to submit a new club-record bid, which is likely to be in the region of £100million.

Lukaku, who is said to be keen on making the switch, would be poised to receive around £10.2m per year before add-ons.

Chelsea’s pursuit of the Inter man could also have a knock-on effect with regards to the future of Abraham, with Atalanta said to be planning a move for the 24-year-old.

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The Blues could shell out a club-record fee to land the 28-year-old (Image: GETTY)

The Blues are said to value the former Swansea City loanee at around £40m, a figure that could represent a significant portion of the fee used to test Inter’s resolve.

The Italian giants are said to be keen on retaining Lukaku’s services into the new season and beyond, with the striker remaining under contract until the summer of 2024.

However, player power usually has an important role in high-profile transfers and it remains to be seen whether Inter will eventually be pressured into granting his transfer request.

Lukaku was previously targeted by Manchester City, who were interested in bringing him to the Etihad Stadium earlier this year, but no formal offer was tabled and he now looks set to join Chelsea in a sensational return to the capital.

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Chelsea were the Premier League’s biggest spenders last summer (Image: EXPRESS)

He will be expected to shoulder the majority of the Blues’ goal burden if the move comes to fruition, but former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol recently warned that he could struggle to live up to expectations upon his return to the club.

“Chelsea are in a position now where if they sign a centre-forward, he has to be a natural finisher, that’s the one thing they’re missing,” Nicol told ESPN FC last month.

“As many goals as Lukaku has, he’s not a natural finisher. He has been at Chelsea twice before.”