Anfield side target Stamford Bridge youngster.
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Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is in advanced talks with Chelsea as he seeks to use some of the £75m generated from the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona to land Blues youngster Romelu Lukaku.
CaughtOffside understands that the Anfield side have earmarked a move for the 21 year old Belgian with Rodgers hoping that his connections with the west London club will assist in his pursuit of the former Anderlecht man.
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Rodgers enjoys a good relationship with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and believes a move for Lukaku will not only help to fill the void left by Luis Suarez’s departure but also adheres to the Merseyside club’s youthful transfer policy.
Lukaku doesn’t appear to figure in Mourinho’s long term plans and having been loaned out over the past two campaigns it’s likely that Chelsea will look to cash-in on the forward this summer with the west London club having brought in Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid.
Rodgers spent four years at Chelsea working as youth team and then reserve team coach and the Northern Irishman may believe this would give him the edge in the race to sign Lukaku and Liverpool are ready to table an opening bid of £26m for his services.
Brendan Rodgers will be handed a significant portion of the funds made from the Suarez sale to help further strengthen his squad, having already brought in Southampton pair Rickie Lambert & Adam Lallana and German youngster Emre Can, and Lukaku’s Premier League goal-scoring form during spells at West Brom and Everton is sure to lead to genuine interest in the Chelsea man.
Mourinho has opted to sell players he doesn’t value so as to beef up his transfer fund pot and the Chelsea manager appears to have no qualms about selling to fellow Premier League sides.
Chelsea elected to allow Juan Mata to join Man United and banked another £50m from the sale of David Luiz to PSG and Liverpool’s offer for Lukaku may well prove successful.
Lukaku netted 17 goals during his season at West Brom, despite making just 20 top tier starts, and his tally of 15 goals at Everton last season helped Roberto Martinez’s side battle manfully for a Champions League berth.
Liverpool may well benefit from Lukaku’s fairly sedate showing at the World Cup finals though Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund are known to be interested whilst newly appointed Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is also keen.
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