Re: would Chelsea sell us Lukaku?
Hmmmmmm
(via Guardian) Tottenham Hotspur have inquired about signing Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea this summer.
Lukaku's agent, Christophe Henrotay, has said that he has spoken to the Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, about the possibility of his client moving to White Hart Lane, although Everton, with whom the Belgium striker is currently on a season-long loan, appear to be at the front of the queue for his signature.
Lukaku has thrived under Roberto Martínez at Goodison Park, scoring 12 goals in 24 Premier League appearances to help Everton's Champions League challenge, and the club would take a bold step towards a top-four finish if they could beat Arsenal at home on Sunday. Lukaku's ambition is to play Champions League football; Everton want him, regardless.
"I'm looking for a club for Romelu," Henrotay said. "And yes, I've talked to Daniel Levy once, but that doesn't mean Romelu will definitely join Spurs. That's not a talking point at this moment.
"There aren't 20 teams that can afford to buy Romelu. He won't go from Everton to, let's say, Swansea. There's also a difference between Everton that plays against relegation and an Everton that fights for European football."
Christian Benteke, Lukaku's Belgium team-mate, has also drawn admiring glances from Tottenham with the club continuing to monitor the former Genk forward having failed to sign him last summer.
Spurs had been keen to explore the possibility of doing a deal at the end of this campaign. However, that now appears unlikely following the news that Benteke had suffered a severe achilles injury in training on Thursday, potentially ruling him out of the rest of the season including the World Cup.
Levy said on Wednesday that he would "not look to a summer of major upheaval but rather to strengthen in key areas", and centre-forward is one such position.
When Levy sanctioned the departure of Jermain Defoe to Toronto at the end of February, he left the squad with only two established strikers – Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado – plus the 20-year-old Harry Kane, in whom Sherwood has shown faith.
Lukaku arrived at Chelsea in August 2011 from Anderlecht in a deal that was initially worth £11m, with add-ons that could take the fee to £18m, and he was determined to make his mark at the club that he followed when he was younger. The 20-year-old's affection for Chelsea was based, in no small measure, on his admiration for Didier Drogba.
But Lukaku struggled for opportunities in his first season at Stamford Bridge and, denied the chance to find a groove, his form suffered and he failed to score. He was loaned to West Bromwich Albion last season, where he scored 17 league goals and has also prospered at Everton but, despite José Mourinho's expected clear‑out of strikers this summer, Lukaku does not appear to have a future at his parent club.
Everton's push to beat Tottenham to Lukaku this summer could be aided by the bad blood between Chelsea and Spurs at boardroom level. This dates to Levy's refusal to entertain Chelsea's offer for Luka Modric in 2011 and it was evident again last summer in the fight to sign Willian from Anzhi Makhachkala. Chelsea won and they revelled in snatching the player from under Tottenham's noses.
