Manchester City and Chelsea want to bring in a new striker before the window closes on August 31st.
The English champions saw Sergio Agüero leave the Etihad as a free agent, while the west London club’s need to sign a new No.9 has increased after Olivier Giroud’s sale to Milan.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are keen on landing Romelu Lukaku, a player who was also looked at by the Citizens, writes Luca Marchetti, in his column for TuttoMercatoWeb.
The journalist states there was no need for the Serie A winners to sacrifice the 28-year-old to improve their financial conditions, but in the ‘face of an important offer’ in excess of €100m from the Blues, Inter cannot ‘neglect’ it.
A return to Stamford Bridge will see the Belgian improve his salary [from €8m to €11m net per season]. The ex- Everton man isn’t going to Chelsea for money and to make a point, Marchetti uses the Premier League winners as an example.
“If he [Lukaku] had only chosen the money then he could have asked Inter for a raise or perhaps accepted City, who had approached the Belgian 6 months ago,” he states.
Chelsea’s project in the short and medium term is much better than that of Inter, and this factor is ‘very important’ for Lukaku. Therefore, he has ‘communicated’ to his current employer his ‘willingness to accept’ the Champions League winners’ offer.
The frontman will have an opportunity to return to the club that didn’t give him enough chances earlier in his career.
Marchetti is of the belief the player snubbing Manchester City’s earlier approach and now preferring to return to Chelsea will give Lukaku a chance to have ‘a personal revenge’ and ‘a further challenge to be won’.
