Romelu Lukaku‘s future has become the first priority of Chelsea’s new ownership group, with the striker expected to complete a loan move away just a year after re-signing for the club.
As early as December, Lukaku made it known he was interested in returning to Serie A, where he scored 64 goals in a two-year spell with Inter Milan. While his return to Stamford Bridge started promisingly with three goals in as many games, it ended in an unhappy run of three in his last 13 league appearances, including an infamous display against Crystal Palace in which he touched the ball just seven times and didn’t register a shot.
The Belgian international’s imminent departure is far from the only business to be completed by Todd Boehly, head of the consortium who officially took over from Roman Abramovich at the end of May.
While the 2021-22 campaign will primarily be remembered as the moment the curtain fell on the Abramovich era, it also highlighted pressing matters on the pitch after a third-placed finish, no real title challenge, an unsuccessful defence of their European crown and defeat in two domestic cup finals.
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There are few available replacements for a centre-forward that fits Lukaku’s mould. Chelsea are not short of attackers to work around him – though Timo Werner has not proven a viable solution as a focal point of the front line and Hakim Ziyech has been brilliant only in flashes.
The market for a world-class striker looks increasingly unfavourable, however, with Manchester City having captured the bargain signing of Erling Haaland (£51m) and Liverpool now leading the race for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez.
In turn, Chelsea are thought to be monitoring a range of versatile, but less established forwards. Reports in Italy have also suggested they will ask for a makeweight in Lautaro Martinez if Lukaku were to return to Inter Milan.
Centre-back targets
Chelsea are ready to act on their long-standing interest in Sevilla’s French international Jules Kounde. The addition of at least one centre-back is a must, even if the Blues’ need has been offset a little by the rise of Trevoh Chalobah. Antonio Rudiger has already signed for Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen has also left the club, with Barcelona expected to sign him. Presnel Kimpembe, who was managed by Tuchel at PSG, has also been linked.
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Contract talks
Tuchel also risks being weakened on the left as Marcos Alonso courts interest from Spain and Chelsea do not want to allow him to run into the final year of his contract, which expires in 2022. The club has triggered a one-year extension in Cesar Azpilicueta’s deal but he too has been tipped to return to his homeland.
Less urgent, but still needing discussion, are the futures of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, whose deals run out in 2023. Questions remain over Kante’s fitness and whether the 31-year-old will be able to keep up with the pace of the Premier League if offered a long-term deal. These are matters that would ordinarily have been dealt with in the final weeks of last season, but that was not possible due to the sanctions in place.
Chelsea Women
Chelsea Women manager Emma Hayes once remarked on Abramovich’s “passion for the women’s game in general” and her side benefited from significant investment, winning five Super League titles and four FA Cups. The Russian urged the new ownership group to continue to back the women’s side, as well as the academy, and Hayes remains an influential figure in the overall fabric of the club. The WSL champions signed French international defender Eve Perisset earlier this week.
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Image rehab
On the day Abramovich’s assets were frozen by the UK Government, Chelsea’s sponsors began to back away, with front of shirt sponsor Three suspending their agreement with immediate effect – though for practical reasons, their logo was still used for the remainder of the season, despite requests to have it removed. Boehly is not expected to be a high-profile face of the ownership group, but there is a PR offensive to be launched in order to rebuild the soured image cast by Abramovich’s shadow in the months after the government described him as a “pro-Kremlin oligarch”.
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