Mauricio Pochettino reveals Romelu Lukaku ‘deal’ as Chelsea forward transfer schedule clear

Romelu Lukaku has been heavily linked with a permanent move from Chelsea for some time and it looks like he’s finally ready to make the move

Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Chelsea intend to sack Romelu Lukaku before the summer transfer window closes at the end of the month. The 30-year-old striker has faced an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge for some time and it looks like he is finally parting ways with the Blues.

Ahead of the west Londoners’ clash with West Ham on Sunday afternoon, Pochettino explained that the club and the player had both agreed a fresh start was best for both sides. When asked if he could bring Lukaku back to the Chelsea squad if he failed to secure a transfer, the 51-year-old replied: “It’s not just one side – you have to two sides to do that.” to find the best solution.

“You can’t just blame the club, it’s about both sides.” The situation is where it is because of both sides. Both sides have reached an agreement.

“We were informed before signing about the situation of each individual player,” added Pochettino. “After signing, we had the squad we had. It’s so clear nothing has changed, and if there’s anything to report, we’ll let you know. “We have nothing to do – I have to focus on my team to try to perform. We cannot focus our energy on a situation that was clear before we arrived at Chelsea.”

According to the Evening Standard, Juventus have offered £32m plus £2m in add-ons for Lukaku, but their offer is based on selling Dusan Vlahovic. The report says Al-Hilal have agreed a £40million transfer fee for the Belgium international with Chelsea, but they are expected to walk away from the deal after signing Aleksandar Mitrovic from Fulham.

Earlier last month, Inter Milan sporting director Piero Ausilio confirmed the club’s intention to sign Lukaku this summer. But when the Nerazzurri discovered the striker’s talks with the Old Lady, they pulled out of the race to sign him. Lukaku, whose contract at Stamford Bridge expires in 2026, made 25 appearances for Inter in Serie A last season, scoring ten goals. Despite his relatively modest performances for Simone Inzaghi’s side, the Belgian was still heavily linked with a season-ending return to San Siro – but that bridge appears to have burned now…

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Chelsea signs Lavia, raising midfielder expenditure for the week to £173 million.

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Roméo Lavia from Southampton. The 19-year-old is the second defensive midfielder the club have bought this week, after Moisés Caicedo, and the deals mean Mauricio Pochettino have two players Liverpool have been looking for.

The transfer fee for Lavia could be £58m after paying a British record £115m including extras to sign Caicedo from Brighton. It continues the huge investments under owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

Pochettino was keen to create more depth in midfield. Chelsea dropped Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek this year. They started Sunday with a midfield featuring Enzo Fernández, Conor Gallagher and Carney Chukwuemeka in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool. The money could be raised by selling Gallagher after the arrival of Lavia, who has signed a seven-year contract.

Chelsea are looking to expand their attacking options, with Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson one of their targets after Michael Olise rejected a move to sign a new contract with Crystal Palace.

Newcastle have agreed to loan sign Chelsea’s Lewis Hall on an obligation to make the deal permanent for £28m plus £7m add-ons. Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali reportedly negotiated the deal to sell the 18-year-old weeks after being offered a new six-year contract. Hall made 12 appearances last season and his departure means 14 players have departed this summer.

Hall, who can also play in midfield, would initially leave for Crystal Palace on loan. However, that deal fell through and he emerged as a target for Newcastle, who can provide Champions League football. His way into the Chelsea first team was blocked by Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella and Ian Maatsen. There will be some turmoil over Chelsea’s decision to sell one of their best academy products. However, the club has to raise funds due to their outrageous spending and the money received for the academy players goes into the accounts as pure financial fair play profit.