Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Would Be Right to Cash In on Romelu Lukaku

Sometimes, no matter how seamless a marriage may seem on paper, a player and manager just don’t gel.

Stylistically, Romelu Lukaku should be the perfect forward for Jose Mourinho, but for one reason or another, the 21-year-old striker has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge and looks to be on the brink of a summer transfer.

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The Belgian international shone on loan at Everton last season while Chelsea’s strikers toiled for long spells.

Despite Lukaku’s indisputable development under the tutelage of Toffees boss Roberto Martinez, there doesn’t seem to be a spot in the Blues' squad for the former Anderlecht man.

Everton have been linked with a permanent move for the forward, and Martinez fuelled Toffees supporters’ excitement by answering "of course we’ll get him" when questioned about Lukaku during the club’s preseason trip to Thailand, per Simon Rice of The Independent.

The Goodison Park club’s head of recruitment, Ian Atkins, also told Joe Moore of talkSPORT that the player is keen on a move to Merseyside:

"

Hopefully things can be sorted out, I think he’s quite settled in his mind that he wants to come to Everton, and hopefully he’ll be pulling on our blue shirt again next term.

Our loan signings all did brilliant for us last season. Gareth Barry has signed permanently now which is fantastic, and hopefully Lukaku will as well.

"

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While the noise coming out of Everton points towards positive developments on their side, there’s been little from Chelsea to suggest that they’re intent on keeping Lukaku. Perhaps the dealings that the club made in this current transfer window do all the talking for them.

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Not only has Mourinho snapped up Diego Costa, but he’s also recruited 36-year-old Didier Drogba on a one-year deal—both of whom it seems will battle with Fernando Torres to be Chelsea’s main forward next season.

With the Portuguese boss likely to operate with just a solitary striker, Lukaku could find himself fourth in the pecking order behind the aforementioned trio.

The Belgian international has actually been training with former club Anderlecht in an attempt to get up to full fitness, as noted here by Belgian football expert Kristof Terreur:

Chelsea made a big long-term investment when they paid a reported £20 million for an 18-year-old Lukaku back in 2011. After three years during which the player has failed to nail down a first-team berth, and with a manager at the helm who clearly doesn’t fancy him, now would be the right time to cash in on the player.

Yes, Lukaku and Mourinho should be a match made in heaven. Yes, the Portuguese boss loves a powerful target man to lead the line.

However, it seems as though the relationship between the player, manager and subsequently the club has deteriorated beyond repair.

Lukaku and Mourinho were embroiled in a war of words last November when the Chelsea boss accused his on-loan front man of misleading the public, per Tony Banks of the Express. Then, after the World Cup, the young striker told reporters that nobody at the Stamford Bridge club has spoken to him since September.

With the Toffees reportedly set to meet Chelsea’s supposed £25 million asking price in what would be a club record transfer, per Dave Kidd of The Mirror, surely the best course of action for Mourinho would be to let the player go.

If they’re going to sell the player to another English side, Everton would be ideal suitors.

While Martinez’s men are a very capable team, they are not going to compete with Chelsea for domestic or European honours. So just like the player did during his spell on loan on Merseyside last season, Lukaku would help Everton potentially take points off a host of Chelsea’s rivals without mounting a serious title charge.

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For the player, too, a move to Everton would make a lot of sense at this stage of his career. Under Martinez, Lukaku improved substantially. Although he’s clearly ambitious about playing at the very top level of the game, he is still a very young player.

Admittedly, despite his young age, he’s got an exceptional scoring record, as noted here by WhoScored.com:

If the player were to make the switch to Everton, not only would he help the club push towards a Champions League spot, but Lukaku would be at a team where he is the focal point and feels valued by his manager.

It’d be a wonderful platform for him to showcase his talents and attract the attention of Europe’s elite clubs.

Chelsea surely brought Lukaku to Stamford Bridge with the hopes of him being Drogba’s long-term replacement. Instead, they’ve brought back Drogba—a player in the twilight of his career and a shadow of the forward he once was.

In reality, that should tell both Chelsea and Lukaku all they need to know about why they should cut ties this summer and go their separate ways.