Chelsea are reportedly interested in including on-loan striker Romelu Lukaku in a permanent deal to acquire the services of Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane in the 2023 winter transfer window.
Kane, who has two years left on his current deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, has been a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League for the past eight seasons. He is the third-highest goalscorer in the league’s history with a whopping 188 goals in 288 appearances.
A complete forward in every aspect, the 29-year-old has started the 2022-23 season in fine fettle. He has already netted five times in eight matches across all competitions for Antonio Conte’s side.
Lukaku, on the other hand, is currently out on loan at Inter Milan. He joined the Blues for a club-record fee of £97.5 million last summer but failed to impress, scoring just 15 goals across all competitions. So far this season, he has netted once in three Serie A games.
According to CalcioMercatoWeb, new Chelsea head coach Graham Potter wants to sign Kane in a swap deal involving Lukaku. The move, which will reunite the Belgian with his former boss Conte at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, could be a player-plus-cash offer too.
However, Lukaku is adamant to stay at his former club, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the Italian journalist claimed that the Nerazzurri are interested in retaining the attacker’s services for one more season.
Romano said:
“[Inter] feel that they will have a chance to keep him for one more year at least on loan and also for next season, but it has to be negotiated with Chelsea.”
He added:
“They already discussed it when they built the one-year loan deal, so let’s see if Graham Potter will decide to change the situation.
“But Inter are absolutely happy with Lukaku and optimistic that they can keep him long term because there is an important point: Lukaku only wants Inter as of today.”
Chelsea will next play Red Bull Salzburg at home in their second UEFA Champions League Group E fixture on Wednesday (September 14).
Chelsea in talks to buy Portuguese club
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea have been holding talks to acquire a new club in Portugal. Earlier in June, Blues owner Boehly held discussions with super-agent Jorge Mendes and academy manager Neil Bath regarding a potential bid to purchase a club.
Boehly and his board of directors have planned to set up a network of feeder clubs all around the globe to develop young talent elsewhere. The club hierarchy at Stamford Bridge were inspired by the multi-club model set by City Football Group (CFG) and Red Bull GmbH.