Which English Club Should Make Romelu Lukaku Their Primary Transfer Target?

Even for a division which has counted unpredictability among its greatest selling points, the Premier League has been an altogether different beast this season.

Only in the realm of video games and fantasy football could Leicester City have imagined that they would be atop the pile after 16 games, and yet there they are. 

But while there has been no shortage of exhilaration across the league, one thing has been in somewhat rarer supply: goalscoring strikers.

English football’s supposed elite No. 9s have so far misfired, with the likes of Diego Costa, Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero and Daniel Sturridge all struggling to find their groove for one reason or another.

Romelu Lukaku is proving himself to be the exception, though.

With his goal against Norwich City on Saturday, the Belgian striker has now scored in seven successive Premier League fixtures—keeping Everton a fixture in the Premier League’s top half. With so many out-and-out strikers suffering this season, Lukaku’s achievements certainly stand out. He might even have Jamie Vardy’s just-set record in his sights. 

However, with such a streak will inevitably come speculation and rumours linking him with big-money moves away from Goodison Park. The Premier League’s top teams are toiling for goals from their strikers, so Lukaku is the obvious transfer target for a number of elite sides. 

Jose Mourinho’s decision to allow the Belgian striker to leave Stamford Bridge is looking increasingly foolish with every passing game. Costa has become a pressing concern for the Portuguese manager this season, with the Brazilian-born Spanish international seemingly more intent on starting fights than scoring goals. Without a battering ram to lead their pressing game from the very front, the Blues’ title defence has faltered. 

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Chelsea must also regret not inserting a buy-back option into Lukaku’s Everton contract, particularly taking into account their own struggles in the final third. But if the Blues are no longer in the picture, which team would suit the forward best? If English football’s great and good are lining up for his services, who should shuffle to the front of the queue? 

Perhaps the most obvious candidate to capture the 22-year-old striker would be Manchester United. The Old Trafford club are in need of an attacking revolution, with Rooney in a deep rut that shows no sign of dissipating and Anthony Martial now apparently preferred as a wide operator. Lukaku could be that revolution. 

Indeed, the Belgian would give United the attacking focal point Louis van Gaal so desperately lacks at present. Rooney is guilty of dropping too deep too often, but that wouldn’t be an issue with Lukaku—one of the few out-and-out strikers plying their pure trade in the European game right now. United would, for the first time since Robin Van Persie’s departure, have an orthodox No. 9.

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Arsenal could also do with an additional attacking option, especially after the long-term injury suffered by Welbeck and the continued thin ice tread on by Alexis Sanchez—a player who always seems just one match away from a serious setback.

However, stylistically, the Gunners might not be the best fit for Lukaku—with Olivier Giroud already a somewhat reliable goalscoring No. 9. The Belgian would still improve the north London side, but his signing might not be considered a priority.

Of course, there’s also the possibility that Lukaku could opt for a move abroad. In fact, that might prove the most logical destination for a player represented by Italian-born Dutch football agent Mino Raiola, who has close links with clubs in Italy’s Serie A and the French Ligue 1. 

Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain in particular are intertwined with the dealings of Raiola, with the latter an especially compelling destination for the former Chelsea striker.

The French club could soon be on the look-out for fresh attacking options, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani both potentially on the way out of the Parc des Princes, so Lukaku could be the natural replacement.

The Premier League might have stiff competition in their contest to secure the Belgian striker’s next move.

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Then there’s the discussion over the potential outlay any club in pursuit of Lukaku might have to splurge.

Given that Everton parted with £28 million for the Belgian’s signature just last year, it seems unlikely that the Goodison Park club would accept anything less than that figure now—especially considering his goalscoring feats since.

It’s possible that the fee used to lure Lukaku might even challenge the reported £75 million paid by Barcelona for Luis Suarez last summer—such is the promise of the Belgian.

The question marks that were once held against the Belgian’s name have now been firmly wiped clean. Lukaku—at least going on his form over the past few weeks and months—is the finished article, and good enough to compete at the very top of the sport.

Consistency has now been delivered, and in the right team, he could become a truly formidable attacking force. He could be one the greatest strikers of his generation. 

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And his development shows no sign of slowing, either. As the focal point of Everton’s top-six push, concerns over burnout would be understandable, but Roberto Martinez holds no such worries. In fact, the Spaniard believes more first-team football—regardless of how fast and furious it comes—will be of benefit to Lukaku.

“When you are 22 years old and enjoying your football, you can’t wait for the next game,” Martínez said ahead of the clash against Norwich City, per Paul Wilson of the Guardian. “The players you need to be careful with are those around 28, 29 or 30. 

“We have a few of those, and you have to measure their recovery times really well, but players who are 21 or 22 can recover in 12 hours because they’ve got so much energy.”

The way he’s playing right now, it’s little wonder Lukaku can’t wait until the next game.