Tottenham Hotspur have opened talks to sign Chelsea outcast Romelu Lukaku with a move to Juventus proving problematic, claims Alfredo Pedulla.
The Serie A giants are keen to land Lukaku’s signature, but they have struggled to stump up the cash required to finalise the transfer.
A player-plus-cash deal has been mooted, with the Bianconeri looking to use Dusan Vlahovic as a makeweight, but Chelsea are reluctant to sanction that transaction.
They will prefer to sell Lukaku outrightly and have slapped a €40 million price on the controversial Belgian striker.
However, Juventus are struggling to raise funds, which has opened the door for other interested parties to swoop in.
Tottenham are Lukaku’s next best option, with the former Manchester United man reluctant to join the Saudi Pro League exodus.
Spurs recently lost Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, pocketing over €100m in the process, and they are looking to reinvest the proceeds from his departure into a replacement.
Lukaku has significant Premier League experience under his belt, having scored 161 times in the English top flight after featuring for West Bromwich Albion, Everton, Man United and Chelsea.
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou could use someone like Lukaku leading the attack, but whether the 30-year-old striker fits into his philosophy is a different question.
While Chelsea and Tottenham are not famous for doing business with each other, Lukaku’s case could be different, with the Blues desperate to offload him.
Spurs’ options are to sign a replacement or bank on Richarlison to provide the goods. Considering the Brazilian only managed one goal in 27 Premier League outings last term, a new striker should be a wise choice.
Postecoglou did not have the best start to life at Tottenham after watching his side play out a 2-2 draw against Brentford earlier today.
However, a new striker with a proven goalscoring track record could bolster his chances of leading the club back into the European places.
