'Chelsea would love to give Lukaku a chance'

Suraj Radia

• 11 Mar 2023 13:01 GMT
• 2 min read

Chelsea would ‘love’ to bring Romelu Lukaku back from his loan at Inter and give him a chance in the first team, according to one of the club’s former players.

The Belgian signed from Inter in 2021 for a club-record fee of £97.5m but he returned to his former club after just a single disastrous season, blighted by an interview where he criticised the tactics of former manager Thomas Tuchel.

Lukaku still has three years remaining on his contract with the Blues and he is expected to return to the club this summer, having scored just three goals for Inter in an injury-hit campaign.

UNWANTED: Chelsea receive bad news from Inter over Lukaku

Ex-Chelsea defender Glen Johnson believes the club will give Lukaku an opportunity in pre-season this summer in the hopes of rescuing their investment, although he warned the striker that he needs to show more than he has done previously to save his career at Stamford Bridge.

Johnson said: “It’ll all depend on what the manager sees in pre-season and what he sees from Lukaku at Inter Milan from now until the end of the season. If he comes back and plays like he did before, then he will be going straight back out the door to somewhere else.

“However, if he comes back with the bit between his teeth and he really wants to work hard, knuckle down and show everybody that he wants to be there, then he could still have a future at Chelsea.

“He’s already cost Chelsea a fortune, so it’s in everybody’s best interests for Romelu to work out at Chelsea. If he comes back with the bit between his teeth, then I believe Chelsea would love to give him a chance.”

Lukaku facing uncertain future

Despite having an affinity for Chelsea and former Blues striker Didier Drogba growing up, Lukaku has failed to make an impact on the club across two spells.

The 29-year-old failed to score in 15 games with the club as a youngster but netted eight Premier League goals in his second stint before returning to Inter last summer.

The Italian side were expected to extend his loan for a further season, or even make the move permanent, but Lukaku’s underwhelming performances and poor levels of fitness have caused the club to think twice over keeping hold of him.

However, Chelsea are desperate for goals, having struggled to find a striker capable of replacing Lukaku and leading the line, and the club could turn to their record signing given the change in manager since he left.

NO CHANCE: Lukaku 'not part of Chelsea future' despite striker woes

Lukaku’s high wages, poor form and injury record means Chelsea may struggle to shift him on, suggesting that he may be required to prove his worth in West London again, whether the club like it or not.