What Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has told Todd Boehly about Romelu Lukaku amid exit links

Chelsea takeover finally complete as Todd Boehly era begins

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Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has reportedly told the club’s new owner Todd Boehly that his Blues team would work better without Romelu Lukaku in it. Lukaku joined Chelsea for a second time last summer but has flopped since returning to Stamford Bridge and struggled for game time throughout the latter stages of last season.

Lukaku was seen as a marquee signing when he arrived in west London last August after Chelsea had shelled out a club record £97.5million to prise him away from Inter Milan. The 29-year-old had previously spent three years in the capital after initially joining from Anderlecht as an 18-year-old in 2011.

Lukaku had enjoyed two fine seasons at Inter as he found the back of the net 64 times in 95 games for the Italian club after joining from Manchester United. And the Belgium international was widely expected to build on his impressive displays in Italy on his return to the Premier League.

Things started well for Lukaku back in England as he scored four goals in his first four matches. But he soon hit a dry patch as he struggled to assert his dominance on Premier League defences. And his Blues career hit rock bottom last December after he told Sky Italia that he was “not very happy with the situation” at Chelsea and had aspirations to “play for” Inter again.

Lukaku’s season nosedived after the revelations as Tuchel opted to select Kai Havertz ahead of him in many games. And Lukaku scored just three Premier League goals after the turn of the year.

According to the Independent, Tuchel has told Boehly that his team would function better with other options. And that could pave the way for the powerhouse striker to return to Italy, with a move back to Inter seen as ’50-50′ at this stage.

The fact that it was the Roman Abramovich regime that splashed the cash on Lukaku and not Boehly’s means that a transfer away is politically easier than it would have otherwise been. And the player has been taking counsel over his next move.

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Tuchel addressed Lukaku’s future last month when Chelsea were banned from making new signings as Abramovich still owned the club. And the German revealed: “I want him to be an important part of the squad. Right now, he is a very important part of the squad next season. There is no way, no recruitment, no players about to leave because it is simply not possible.

“If the situation changes, we need anyway to adapt all the time to contractual situations, individual situations of the players, what we want and think, and what the development will be. We signed a big player, and he is still a big player.”

But following their takeover, the Blues will be allowed to sign players during the upcoming transfer window. So Tuchel could well now decide to move Lukaku on.

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