Graham Potter, the Brighton and Hove Albion manager, has expressed his belief that Romelu Lukaku could still have a future at Chelsea. Potter described the on-loan striker as a “fantastic player” and stated that they are monitoring his progress. Chelsea spent a whopping £97.5 million on re-signing Lukaku from Inter in August 2021. However, the Belgium international struggled in his first season back at Stamford Bridge, scoring only 15 goals in 44 appearances.
Lukaku angered Chelsea just a few months after his return when he criticised Thomas Tuchel’s tactics during an interview with an Italian broadcaster. He also suggested that he was keen to return to Inter. As a result, Chelsea allowed Lukaku to re-join Inter on loan for the season. Unfortunately, the striker has been hampered by injuries this term and has scored only five goals in 19 games for the Serie A club so far.
When asked about Lukaku’s potential return to Chelsea, Potter told Canal+: “Well, he’s still a Chelsea player, and we’re monitoring him, of course. We understand where he’s at; he’s on loan, and those decisions will be made in the summer. He’s a fantastic player, someone who we know and like. But again, we need to speak about that in the summer because he’s playing on loan for his club.”
Speaking earlier this month, Inter’s CEO Beppe Marotta indicated that the club would not follow up with a permanent move for Lukaku in the summer window. “The loan was for one season, so on June 30, regardless of how well he plays, he’ll go back to Chelsea,” Marotta told Sky Italia. “This has been an unprecedented season. I’m referring, of course, to the World Cup. The problems we’ve experienced have been experienced by other clubs too and the players who played at the World Cup. Lukaku is a case in point. [Marcelo] Brozovic isn’t the Brozovic we know. Lukaku hasn’t found the fitness he needs to play his best football. He’s still not at his best or the player we got to see in years gone by.”
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will welcome Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge or look to sell him elsewhere. However, Potter’s comments suggest that the Brighton manager would be interested in signing the striker if he becomes available in the summer. It will be interesting to see how this situation develops over the coming months.