Stan Collymore, former Liverpool striker believes Chelsea can cut loose on Romelu Lukaku if they reduce their asking price for the Belgian striker.
Romelu Lukaku has endured a terrible 12- months since his second coming to Chelsea. Chelsea paid a record 100 million Euros for the service of the Belgian international from Inter Milan. Romelu Lukaku had failed to live up to expectations since his arrival.
The 29 years old Belgian had not been able to replicate his form at Inter Milan, where he helped the win their first Italian Serie A title in 10 years scoring 30 goals in 44 appearances that season and becoming Inter Milan’s second top scorer in the Serie A with 24 goals behind Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima.
Lukaku’s season at Chelsea was marred with injuries and off-field issues. Romelu Lukaku’s controversial interview with Sky Sports last December where he criticized Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and confessed his love for Inter Milan. Lukaku later came to apologize to the Chelsea fans and the coach.
Romelu Lukaku scored 15 goals and provided 2 assists for Chelsea this season including 8 Premier League goals which are less than double what he achieved last season at Inter Milan.
The 29 years old has been linked with a move back to Inter Milan in the Serie A with a loan move the reliable option for the Belgian international.
What did Stan Collymore say?
In an exclusive interview with Caught offside, He said: “Todd Boehly, the new owner, might come in and say ‘look, we can afford to take a 25 percent cut. The manager doesn’t want him, the player doesn’t want to be here. Let’s not have this rotten fish in and around the club. Let’s get £75m.
“But could they [Inter Milan] even afford £75m? – So you’re looking at perhaps a loan and then it becomes about the loan fee and what a bizarre situation we will then be in.
“A man that has won a Scudetto with Inter Milan as a core part of the team, that learned so much from Antonio Conte, goes back to Inter Milan but is a loanee.”
The signing of Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea was seen as the icing on the cake as many pundits had tipped Chelsea to win the Premier League ahead of Manchester City with the acquisition of Lukaku from Inter Milan.
Stan Collymore claims Romelu Lukaku was the type of player Chelsea needed.
He continued: They didn’t need a Romelu Lukaku-type player.
“They didn’t need somebody to hold the ball up and bring other people in because Chelsea was already in the opponent’s half and had bodies in really good positions.
“ He’s gone from Inter Milan where everything goes through him. Once you take away two or three of somebody’s checklist of attributes, you can become very unhappy, very, very quickly.”
The question remains if Chelsea should sell Romelu Lukaku or give him (Lukaku) time to rediscover his form at Chelsea.
Romelu Lukaku seems to have gained form in the latter part of the season scoring three goals in two appearances.
