Manchester United have sensationally pulled off a £75m move to bring Romelu Lukaku to Old Trafford. Serially linked with Chelsea since the moment the player expressed a desire to move on to a top-tier club, it was almost assumed that the Belgian would be back at Chelsea when the time came. With BBC confirming the deal, it’s safe to say that the Lukaku boat has sailed as far as Chelsea are concerned.
In such a scenario, let’s take a look at possible alternatives Chelsea could consider in order to bolster their attacking options:
Andrea Belotti
The 23-year-old Italian sensation has been scoring for fun at Torino. The player burst onto the scene with a bang, having scored 28 goals in all competitions for the Italian outfit.
The player is a quintessential modern striker who doesn’t have a limited sphere of excellence and is capable of scoring all types of goals to put it crudely. Credited for his work rate, the player wasn’t always such a prolific goalscorer. Drawing comparisons with the likes of Gianluca Vialli, the forward is a powerhouse with a deadly eye for goal. Nicknamed Il Gallo, or the rooster, the player is one of the most complete players in the game today.
He scores goals with his left, he scores goals with his right and he isn’t too bad at headers either. Said to be a Conte favourite, the only stumbling block in the way of Chelsea signing the player is Torino’s reluctance to part with the player and a very high release clause.
Alvaro Morata
In a reversal of fortunes, the disgruntled Spaniard, who failed to dislodge Karim Benzema at Real Madrid seeing his role at Los Merengues severely curtailed, was set for a move to Old Trafford. With United choosing to sign Lukaku instead, his future has been shrouded in uncertainty once again.
All is not lost though for the 24-year-old. Conte is said to be one of the long-term admirers of the forward, having signed him for Juventus. Although he never got a chance to work with Morata, taking up the Italy national team job immediately afterwards, the Chelsea Head Coach still reserves an interest in the player. Morata has iterated his desire to work with Il Martello as well. ‘Conte is the manager who most ‘bet’ on me, without even ever having had me in his team,’ Morata said in an interview with The Guardian.
The move could be on the cards at the right price with Real Madrid looking to cash in on the player. Valued at £70m, Chelsea would be hoping to bring down the price a bit, in a deal that could prove to be a protracted and arduous affair. with Los Blancos in no hurry to conclude the deal.
Fernando Llorente
Chelsea are reportedly set to renew their interest in the player after a failed January loan bid. Although the 32-year-old is unlikely to be Chelsea’s first-choice forward, the Spaniard’s valuable Premier League pedigree and the fact that Conte rates the player having trained him at Juventus could be the makeweight in a deal that would see the striker play second fiddle to whoever Chelsea identify to lead their lines.
Swansea aren’t too keen on parting with the player, despite Llorente being on the last year of his contract, as his 15 goals for the Premier League outfit last season proved invaluable in helping the club avoid relegation.
It would be interesting to see, who among these players make the final cut in Conte’s plans next season. Although it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if Chelsea unveil none of the aforementioned players and reveal Lewandowski! Well, one can hope and Chelsea fans have their fingers crossed.
