Chelsea chief Petr Cech has backed Romelu Lukaku to have a 'strong season' next term despite transfer links of a return to Inter Milan this summer.
The 29-year-old joined Chelsea last summer after the Blues forked out £97.5m to bring him home, ensuring their club-record transfer fee was smashed by over £20m.
But it hasn't worked out the way Thomas Tuchel and co would have hoped. Scoring 15 goals in all competitions, Lukaku has proved to be more of a hinderance than positive. An unauthorised interview with Sky Italia kick-started the decline which was only added to by the Belgium international testing positive for Covid-19.
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Lukaku also sustained injuries throughout the season and his absence saw him miss 12 Premier League matches last season. His frustrations were evident as were Tuchel's.
Now a return to Inter is on the cards. Both clubs are in talks over how a deal can be struck, with a loan deal a likely option if Lukaku takes a salary cut and Inter pay a loan fee which is believed to be in excess of £20m.
Chelsea are working behind the scenes to deliver on Tuchel's wishes for the summer transfer window, but Cech - Chelsea's Technical and Performance Advisor - has spoken publicly about Lukaku.
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Cech has believes he can have a great season after a difficult campaign in his first campaign back in England.
"I personally believe that he will have a great season because last season we saw how strong he can be at the beginning when he came," said the former Blues goalkeeper.
"Unfortunately, the long-term injury he sustained in the game against (Aston) Villa slowed everything down, then he had Covid as well. We could towards the end of the season he was fit and ready to go again, how strong he is.
"We had a particular season as a team around Christmas with Covid issues, he was one of those players affected too. I have full confidence that he will bounce back, he will have a strong season."
Lukaku's future remains uncertain and unclear. It's down to Inter to meet Chelsea's needs. They won't sell if it doesn't make financial sense, nor will they allow the Belgian to depart out of sentiment. It's a business move gone wrong for Chelsea, like so many of their big money signings.
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The sooner Chelsea are able to cut ties, the better for all parties. As for Cech, he wouldn't be expected to say anything other due to Lukaku still being a Blues player.
Replacements have been scoped out - Raheem Sterling, Ousmane Dembele and Christopher Nkunku have all been shortlisted. Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus is also being considered.
Chelsea are yet to do any transfer business this summer, but once one domino falls, you can almost be sure the rest will follow soon after.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Petr Cech, Romelu Lukaku, Football
