Although he’s gone slightly off the boil of late, Romelu Lukaku will surely prove to be one of Chelsea’s most inspired recent signings.
The front man is a better all round striker now compared to when he left the Blues first time around, and though he didn’t come cheaply for the west Londoners last summer – £97.5m according to The Guardian – there’s every reason to believe he will be worth the spend.
Things might’ve been very much different for the Belgian, however, after The Telegraph revealed that, in fact, he could be lining up for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in 2021/22.
It’s clear that the Citizens were after a powerful front man who guaranteed goals given their highly publicised, and ultimately fruitless, pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.
Lukaku’s agent is quoted by The Telegraph as telling the Belgian that it was ‘now or never’ for a move back to Stamford Bridge, and also that it was only after the fifth offer for the player that a deal was agreed.
We’ll never know just how close City were to acquiring Lukaku, or what a difference he would’ve made to their aspirations this season.