Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has urged the club to make a move for Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku who is looking to end his spell at Stamford Bridge, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The 29-year-old returned to Chelsea last summer for a club-record £97.5million deal but has failed to live up to expectations.
Having mostly played a second fiddle to Kai Havertz in the second half of the season, Lukaku made just 16 starts in the Premier League.
Recent reports even suggested that Lukaku is looking to return to Inter Milan due to being not happy with his situation at Chelsea.
Lukaku’s lawyer, Sebastien Ledure, recently described the rumours that his client is pushing for a return to Inter as “speculations” but did not exactly close the door on the possibility.
Even if Chelsea were to allow Lukaku to leave, there is of course one big problem: the Blues would want to recoup the money they paid last summer, while Inter reportedly cannot afford a permanent deal.
Corriere dello Sport claims that Spurs boss Conte sees this as an opportunity and has asked the club to enter the race for the Belgium international.
Conte wants reunion with exit-bound Chelsea player Lukaku
Having already secured a Champions League spot, Conte reportedly wants to build a team that can even challenge for the Premier League title.
In order to do so, the Italian manager wants another striker who is capable of competing for spots with the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, the report added.
If any manager can bring out the best in Lukaku, it would be Conte.
The striker scored more than 20 goals in each of the two seasons he played under Conte, including in Inter’s Serie A title-winning campaign in 2020/21.
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