Romelu Lukaku continues to be difficult for Chelsea to move, and the window for a transfer is closing as the Belgian striker is currently training with the Chelsea U21 squad.
The Belgian was destined to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, but with less than a week left in the transfer window, he continues to be no closer to moving on than he was at the start of the year.
Simply put, Lukaku’s future appears uncertain after he turned down a rich offer from Al-Hilal and blew his opportunity to return to Inter by negotiating with the club’s bitter rivals, Juventus.
Juventus, the sole team with a genuine interest in the 30-year-old, are still interested in him, but negotiations between the Bianconeri and Chelsea are presently on hold because Chelsea are not willing to accept the trade offer Juve is making in exchange for cash that would cause Dusan Vlahovic to move in the other direction.
Juventus have indicated some readiness to reduce their asking price for Vlahovic, but at this point, it hasn’t been sufficient to persuade Chelsea to put cash on the line. Furthermore, Lukaku has been entirely laid off from the Chelsea team, which is in dire need of offensive additions.
According to The Telegraph, Lukaku has yet to speak with new head coach Mauricio Pochettino and is now working out with Chelsea’s U21 team.
Chelsea’s desire to erase a €113 million loss from their books is reasonable, but was that treatment of the Belgian appropriate?
After all, considering their lack of offensive alternatives at the moment, he could still be helpful. Even though Lukaku won’t be able to cure all of their problems by himself, having the option to deploy him if necessary can’t be a bad thing. Their lack of potency was evident in their 3-1 loss to West Ham.
