Chelsea Transfer Rumours: Romelu Lukaku Must Be Considered Untouchable

Chelsea don't need Christian Benteke. One promising young Belgian striker is enough.

Martin Hardy of The Independent reported the Blues might be interested in Benteke after he submitted a transfer request at Aston Villa. It wouldn't make much sense for the Blues considering they've already got Romelu Lukaku.

The 20-year-old scored 17 goals on loan to West Brom last season. There's no sense in casting aside such a talented young striker.

It's a belief that Chelsea apparently feels as well. The Independent's Sam Wallace reported that in the event of Wayne Rooney moving to Stamford Bridge, Lukaku would be spared:

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The plan agreed with Jose Mourinho would be that should the Rooney deal be agreed, either Ba or Torres will go - but not Romelu Lukaku, who is part of the squad that flies to Bangkok on Thursday on the first part of a three-game tour of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. That would leave the Chelsea manager with three centre-forwards in his squad.

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If Lukaku can score 17 goes at 20 years old in his first real season in the Premier League, what's he going to do when he hits his prime? Of course, that's still five or six seasons down the road.

When you see the player, you almost feel sorry for opposing defenders. It must be a hassle having to deal with strikers who are so physically strong. Lukaku can easily push away a defender as he's bearing down on goal. You're not able to bully him in the box on free kicks or knock him off the ball.

Give him too much space, and Lukaku is quick and skilled enough to run by you.

Without a doubt, he's got his flaws. You'd expect that from somebody his age. What's incredible is how far advanced he is as a player.

Lukaku also recorded seven assists last season. He was perfectly capable at holding the ball up and waiting for his teammates to get into attacking positions.

With clubs like Chelsea, money sometimes gets in the way of smart ideas. When you have £50 million possibly at your disposal, it's hard to pass up on guys like Edinson Cavani or Radamel Falcao. They're the ones who will help you the most in the present. You buy an established striker and forget about the younger players coming up through the ranks.

Chelsea are certainly a club that can be plagued with short-termism at times. Roman Abramovich has no problem sacking managers if they're not getting the job done. Spend £50 million on Fernando Torres? Sure, if it helps win the Champions League.

Sometimes, the future gets overlooked in favor of the present. In this case, though, the Blues seem to be right on the money.

Chelsea only have to bide their time before they've got one of the top strikers in the Premier League— possibly even the world—on their hands.

As a Chelsea supporter, when you hear players like Cavani, Benteke and Rooney linked to the club, you probably start to get worried a little bit. Why would the club want to pursue other options when it has a player like Lukaku waiting in the wings?

Should the Blues get Rooney, it could still work with Lukaku. If he's not going to get in the first team, then the club can loan him out.

The Blues have been very smart with talented other players like Thibaut Courtois and Kevin de Bruyne. They've been loaned out as well in the past in order to get first-team football. When they're ready to contribute to the Chelsea first team, they'll be brought into the fold.

Rooney is 27 years old. In a couple of years, his talent will be waning. He could still be an effective player but not at the level he currently is. Maybe he'll even warm up to that move to the midfield that looks to suit him so well.

Lukaku can then step up and be the main threat up top.

Either way, it looks like Chelsea are committed to Lukaku for the long term.