Barcelona keeping tabs on disgruntled Chelsea star

Barcelona are considering a move for Chelsea’s disgruntled striker, Romelu Lukaku this summer, according to Marca, as the Belgian’s departure grows increasingly likely.

The Catalan giants have turned their attentions towards the Chelsea man after being priced out of deals for Bundesliga duo, Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland.

Lukaku rejoined Chelsea just last summer for a near-£100million and has failed to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge, scoring 12 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions, including just five goals in 23 in the Premier League.

On top of this, the Belgian has remained fairly vocal about his unhappiness at Chelsea, fuelling rumours of a return to Inter Milan throughout the season, and the likelihood is now appearing that Lukaku will get his wish this summer, whether it be a return to Italy or a fresh start in Spain.

This would leave Chelsea in quite the predicament, having invested so heavily in bringing their former player back to the Bridge, and possessing little offensive reinforcement in this position. The Blues look to have made it clear that they no longer see Timo Werner as an out-and-out striker, but with the continuous looming cloud of their uncertainty regarding club ownership and subsequently, summer spending, this may have to become the case.

Alternatively, Thomas Tuchel may look to continue his experimentation with fellow countryman, Kai Havertz, who although seems to lack the killer instinct of a traditional goal-scorer, has enjoyed some bright moments operating in a false-nine role for parts of the season, and may have to do so for large parts of next season, should Lukaku depart west London.

Though uncertainty looms for Chelsea, there feels a definite certainty that Lukaku’s return to the club will come to an abrupt end this summer, but whether his future lies in Milan or Barcelona will remain to be seen.