As we move towards the final fortnight of the transfer window, there are many out of favour players who are still to finalise their next destination. One of those is Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku who has been linked with both English and Italian clubs. North London is one possible destination and we’ll take a look at the latest with the potential Romelu Lukaku Tottenham transfer.
Lukaku is clearly not part of Mauricio Pochettino’s plans at Chelsea. He hasn’t even been given a squad number and despite being fit, was not part of the Blues squad for the opening Premier League fixture against Liverpool last weekend. The big Belgian striker is in limbo with both player and club keen to find a solution in the coming days and weeks.
One potential move could see Lukaku cross London to play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He has been identified as a possible Harry Kane replacement after the England captain completed his transfer to Bayern Munich.
Romelu Lukaku Tottenham transfer: Latest Update
— Alfredo Pedullà (@AlfredoPedulla) August 13, 2023
There is little indication yet that Tottenham have made any kind of formal approach for Romelu Lukaku. However there are reports suggesting that a move could be imminent with Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla claiming there has already been contact between the two parties.
Chelsea set an asking price of £38m for Lukaku earlier in the summer according to the Standard with Inter Milan reportedly interested in bringing him back at that time.
Despite Juventus entering the race for the striker’s signature and recently emerging as the favourites to sign him, the West London club have yet to convince anyone to meet their asking price and clearly favour a permanent sale as opposed to a loan with Lukaku having three years left to run on his current deal at Stamford Bridge.
Having just sold Kane in a deal worth more than €100m, Spurs shouldn’t struggle to fund a move for Lukaku if their interest in the player is genuine. However there’s likely to be a period of negotiation and Daniel Levy may have reason to believe that his rivals would ultimately settle for less than that initial asking price given the clear desire at Stamford Bridge to move Lukaku on and with time running out in this transfer window.
Do Spurs need Lukaku?
Any move for Romelu Lukaku would most likely divide opinion amongst Tottenham fans and there is certainly a school of thought that suggests the forward’s career is already in decline. He hasn’t been anywhere near as convincing since returning to Chelsea in the summer of 2021, managing just 8 goals in the 2021/22 Premier League and 10 in Serie A last term back on loan at Inter.
However what is certain is that Spurs do need at least one striker to come in to bolster Ange Postecoglou’s options and they’ll struggle to find anyone with a track record quite like that of Lukaku with Mohamed Salah the only active Premier League player to have scored more goals in the English top flight.
Lukaku has had his injury issues over the past couple of years which have contributed to his struggles but at 30, there is no reason why a fully fit Romelu Lukaku doesn’t have a few more productive years left in the tank.
Much will depend on Postecoglou and whether he wants an experienced striker to come in and help fill the void left by Kane. There’s certainly a strong case to be made for believing Lukaku is the best option for Spurs. However the new boss could instead look to take this team in a new direction with faith placed in Richarlison to lead the line and a younger option with the potential to shine in the future coming in to act as the Brazilian’s deputy.
