Incoming Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino could be interested in making Romelu Lukaku a “reference point” in attack if he is to be brought back from his loan spell at Inter at the end of the current season.
This according to UK news outlet the Telegraph, who report that the 51-year-old wants talks with the Belgian striker to see if he would be willing to try and revive his career at Stamford Bridge rather than staying at Inter on loan next campaign.
At the moment, everything looks to be in flux regarding Lukaku’s future at Inter.
It is no secret that the 29-year-old’s preference would be to stay at the Nerazzurri, and his plan is to try and get as much playing time over the remaining matches in the run-in of the season so that he can prove his worth and earn his place for next campaign.
However, it is far from obvious that Inter will decide to extend Lukaku‘s loan past the end of this season, whilst it has even been reported that their decision is essentially all but made, and that they will not bring him back for next campaign.
Accordingly, it could well be the case that Chelsea will have to sort out Lukaku’s future during the summer transfer window without being able to negotiate an extension of his loan to Inter.
In this case, the Telegraph reports, the Belgian could well have a place within the Blues’ first team.
Pochettino is expected to take over as Chelsea boss next season, and the former Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain, Southampton, and Espanyol coach believes that Lukaku could still have a place in the first team for next season.
The coach will be looking for a striker with the right characteristics to build the entire attack around, and according to the Telegraph he believes that Lukaku could be just such a player.
Accordingly, the UK outlet reports that there will be talks between Chelsea and the striker regarding the possibility of a surprise return for next season.
