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Chelsea desperate for Lukaku sale and have outside chance with Kudus
Chelsea remain desperate to sell Romelu Lukaku. If a deal isn’t reached with Juventus, or any other European club in August, Chelsea will insist Lukaku accepts an offer from a Saudi in September.
Chelsea want around €45m, but could come down slightly on price should the right opportunity present itself. Al-Hilal were the side pushing for Lukaku but they have just added Aleksandar Mitrovic from Fulham and currently have filled their foreign-player quota.
But with these high-profile Saudi deals, especially the PIF-led ones, the club is often allocated last. The Saudi top-flight window doesn’t close until September 7 and if Lukaku enters into that month without a new club then Saudi could end up being his only viable option.
Chelsea believe the Lukaku issue is as much on the player as them. He hasn’t engaged significantly with Mauricio Pochettino this summer. It’s not just Chelsea who want to sell. Lukaku also doesn’t view the club as an option.
MORE: Don’t miss this week’s the Debrief podcast
With Christopher Nkunku sidelined and Armando Broja returning from an ACL injury, Chelsea would ideally like another striker, but it’s about finding the right profile, and whether that’s a traditional No.9 or just a creative-minded attacker. If the former, Broja is going to feel pushed down the pecking order.
Brennan Johnson and Bradley Barcola are two to watch, and there’s still an outside chance of Mohammed Kudus, who West Ham have failed to date to agree a deal for.
Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun is another
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