Romelu Lukaku’s Uncertain Future at Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku’s future at Chelsea remains uncertain with Inter considering a permanent deal (Shutterstock). Shaun Wright-Phillips believes the 30-year-old could still have a part to play at Stamford Bridge following the arrival of Christopher Nkunku.
Inter Milan’s Interest in Lukaku
Inter Milan have not yet followed up with an offer to sign Lukaku on a permanent deal, despite his season-long loan spell at the Serie A club. Chelsea are now ready to take a significant loss on the £97.5 million they spent on signing Lukaku from Inter less than two years ago. The Belgium international is said to favour a move back to Italy.
Nkunku Could Be the Ideal Partner for Lukaku
Wright-Phillips feels Nkunku, who joined in a £52m deal from RB Leipzig last week, could be the ideal partner for Lukaku under Mauricio Pochettino next term. He believes that having no striker was Chelsea’s biggest crime last season, as they were losing matches and conceding goals, but not scoring them. He believes that with Nkunku playing behind him, Lukaku could be the solution to their scoring woes.
Chelsea Trimming Pochettino’s Squad
Wright-Phillips has also backed Chelsea’s decision to significantly trim Pochettino’s squad ahead of the new campaign. He believes it is needed, as they were up to 43 first-team players with all their loan players back. He believes that this is the only way to start offloading them and putting themselves back on the right track.
Declan Rice’s Potential Move to Manchester City
Chelsea also retain an interest in Declan Rice but Wright-Phillips is hopeful that West Ham’s captain makes the move to Manchester City. He believes that the top five clubs would bite their hand off to get Rice, as he has shown how good he is at doing both sides of the game. With Ilkay Gundogan gone, he believes Rice can fill that space and as a City fan, he would love to see him there.
Conclusion
Romelu Lukaku’s future at Chelsea remains uncertain with Inter considering a permanent deal. Shaun Wright-Phillips believes that with Christopher Nkunku playing behind him, Lukaku could be the solution to Chelsea’s scoring woes. Wright-Phillips has also backed Chelsea’s decision to significantly trim Pochettino’s squad ahead of the new campaign. He is hopeful that West Ham’s captain Declan Rice makes the move to Manchester City and believes that he can fill Ilkay Gundogan’s spot in the team.