Newcastle United have reportedly emerged as shock contenders to sign Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, who is currently on loan with Italian side Roma.
The 30-year-old re-joined Chelsea in 2021 for a then-club record fee of £97.5m, but has spent most of his time with the Blues away on loan.
Lukaku made 44 appearances in the 2021/22 season for Chelsea. He scored 15 goals in the process, as well as making two assists.
He then went on to join Inter Milan on loan in the following campaign – the club Chelsea bought him from – where he scored 14 goals in 37 outings.
Mauricio Pochettino could have brought Lukaku back into the fold at Stamford Bridge this season, but the striker’s preference was to continue playing in Italy.
Roma ultimately secured his services on another season-long loan. The Belgium international has been in tremendous form this term, too, scoring nine times in just 15 games so far.
Lukaku has scored goals pretty much wherever he’s played, so it’s no surprise to see several European clubs interested in signing him next summer.
Now, reports suggest that Newcastle could throw their hat into the ring in what would be a big shock should they bring him in.
According to Belgian outlet Voetbalkrant, Newcastle see Lukaku as an ‘ideal’ signing to bolster Eddie Howe’s attacking options next season.
He could provide quality competition for Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson who have both been in good form this term – netting seven Premier League goals each so far.
The report states, however, that Lukaku is apprehensive about a return to England.
Despite having periods of excellent form for teams such as West Brom, Everton and Manchester United, he appears to be very comfortable in Serie A at the moment.
As exclusively revealed by TEAMtalk, Roma are also interested in signing Lukaku permanently, while several Saudi clubs have also identified him as a target. Therefore, Newcastle will face competition for his signature.
Our sources have informed us that the Blues would be willing to accept an offer of just £35m for Lukaku next summer – £62m less than what they paid for him.
Chelsea could, however, demand more from Newcastle as they are a Premier League rival with plenty of cash at their disposal.
