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-lukaku-links-as-inter-/1tb5c5asacxqh1qcfn6qy1v1nb
Chelsea boss Tuchel refuses to be drawn on Lukaku links as Inter striker
open to move
Stephen Crawford - 06:29 05 Aug 2021
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has said that “a lot of players want to join”,
but that he will not be drawn on reports that Romelu Lukaku could transfer
to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Goal recently reported that the Blues are preparing a fresh bid for the
Inter striker after seeing their original offer rebuffed, with Lukaku now
open to returning to the club. Tuchel, however, is keeping his cards close
to his chest.
Speaking at a press conference following Chelsea's 2-2 friendly draw with
Tottenham, Tuchel told reporters: “I will not talk about players who
don't play in my squad. He's a fantastic player but he's an Inter player
and I will not talk about him in this situation. You can imagine a lot of
players want to come and join but we will not talk about that.
“The board isn't offering players, that's not how it works. We talk to
the board about players, have our own opinions, and in the end we target
players who in our opinion could make our squad strong, which is quite a
challenge.
“There are some players of which we think they can be a good target and
improvement in our squad. I will not comment on names as I don't like it
when other coaches speak about my players. So hopefully you understand
that.”
Timo Werner, Tammy Abraham and Kai Havertz have all occupied the number
nine spot under Tuchel, but none are seen as an out-and-out target man who
can play with their back to goal.
Indeed, Tuchel admitted as much, adding: “With the exit of Olivier
Giroud [to AC Milan], we could use a player who plays with their back to
goal and it means we can add this direct style of play. It's the sort of
profile we don't have in the squad that can be useful.
“But not for any cost and not panic. Whatever happens, we will be
competitive and we have trust in our guys. We have young players in the
offensive part of the game that we demand improvements from. We are
relaxed and aware of our situation at the same time.”
Given Inter's dire financial situation, even after the big-money sale of
Achraf Hakimi, Goal understands that Chelsea are confident that a bid of
€130 million (￡111m/$154m) will be enough to coax the Nerazzurri into a
sale.
For the player's part, Lukaku himself recently told the Inter hierarchy
that he is ready to return to Stamford Bridge if a fee can be agreed
between the clubs.