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Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea: Antonio Conte targets Everton striker for summer rebuild

EXCLUSIVE: Belgian seen as a key target for summer rebuild

Chief Football Correspondent

Monday 04 April 2016 11:23 BST

(Getty Images)

Antonio Conte wants Chelsea to re-sign Romelu Lukaku after identifying the Everton forward as a key target for his summer rebuilding programme at Stamford Bridge.

Conte, whom The Independent first named on 7 December as Chelsea's leading target to replace Jose Mourinho, was confirmed on Monday as the permanent successor to Mourinho at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season - he will take over after Italy are finished at Euro 2016.

The former Juventus coach has already drawn up plans for additions to his squad, with the Italian pinpointing Lukaku as the proven goalscorer required to either replace, or compete with, Diego Costa in the forward line.

Everton are likely to fight any efforts to prise Lukaku away from the club, but an offer in excess of £50million would leave the Merseyside outfit battling to hold onto the player.

8 players playing for their future at Chelsea

Show all 8

1/88 players playing for their future at Chelsea

8 players playing for their future at Chelsea

Eden Hazard

age: 25

position: winger

An injury didn't help but the reality is that the Belgian, last season's Premier League player of the year, has coasted his way through a miserable campaign. His confidence his shot, he barely even tries and he is still yet to score in the Premier League this season. Has been eyeing a move to Real Madrid or PSG for a long time and it might be time for the Blues to part ways.

2016 Getty Images

8 players playing for their future at Chelsea

Diego Costa

age: 27

position: striker

Is the striker worth all the drama? When he's at his rampant best then definitely, but in the two years he's been at Stamford Bridge that has been for just the first three months of the first season and the past couple of months of this. In between there have been stamps, elbows, biting and posturing. Doesn't seem to want to be at the club, with a return to Atletico Madrid perhaps on the horizon, although it'd be hard to find a replacement of similar quality.

8 players playing for their future at Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois

age: 23

position: goalkeeper

The goalkeeper's only advantage over Petr Cech is youth, he's not as good as Chelsea's No 1 was in the past or even how good he is now. He's made a number of high profile errors and, like Hazard, has had his head turned by more glamorous clubs in Europe. Asmir Begovic proved at the start of the season that he is more than capable of performing at the top level. He would fetch a massive fee - it's definitely a risk but Chelsea could cash in now for a player who is not fully focused.

2016 Getty Images

8 players playing for their future at Chelsea

Oscar

age: 24

position: attacking midfielder

The Braziian is fast approaching 200 appearances for the Blues but he's never managed to consistently become the kind of Frank Lampard replacement he was supposed to. Has only three goals in the Premier League so far this season - his lowest total in four years since joining the club - and a further two assists. Wildly inconsistent, Oscar is not usually a first-choice when the rest of the squad is fully fit. He works reasonably hard, the major reason Jose Mourinho picked him over Juan Mata, but doesn't have the attacking instincts to become a truly top player.

2016 Getty Images

8 players playing for their future at Chelsea

Nemanja Matic

age: 27

position: holding midfielder

Where has it all gone wrong for Matic? It appears to be a complete mystery from the outside looking in. When he joined Chelsea in January 2014, he set the tone for a late season surge and then formed a dominant partnership alongside Cesc Fabgregas last season on the way to the title. This term he can't even beat John Obi Mikel to a place in the starting line-up, and when he does play he looks lost, off the pace and not interested. Does he want to leave or is his loss of form terminal?

2016 Getty Images

8 players playing for their future at Chelsea

Gary Cahill

age: 30

position: centre-back

Cahill, and Roy Hodgson, are extremely fortunate that both John Terry and Kurt Zouma went down with serious injuries in recent weeks. Before that, Cahill was not anywhere close to breaking into Chelsea's team. The sad reality is that a man who captained England last week is the fourth best in his position at a club currently 10th in the Premier League. Cahill is always pleasing on the eye but often over-plays and has been found out continually against the best opposition.

8 players playing for their future at Chelsea

John Obi Mikel

age: 28

position: holding midfield

Has proved himself to be a very useful player for Guus Hiddink in two spells, but the sad reality is that the Nigerian is not good enough to start for a team that has title aspirations. A very useful member of the squad to keep around but Mikel himself has already said he wants to play more next season. If Chelsea want to get back to the top, Mikel can't be a regular feature.

2016 Getty Images

8 players playing for their future at Chelsea

Loic Remy

age: 29

position: striker

A mystery that the Frenchman remained at Chelsea beyond the January deadline. He clearly doesn't have a future at Stamford Bridge, with Guus Hiddink preferring to play 20-year-old winger Bertrand Traore as a striker when Diego Costa was unavailable.

2016 Getty Images

Such a move would mark an embarrassing U-turn by Chelsea, who sold the Belgian forward to Everton in a £28m deal in July 2014 following Mourinho’s decision to allow the striker to leave Stamford Bridge.

Having been signed by Chelsea in an £18m deal from Anderlecht in August 2011, Lukaku started just one Premier League game for the club before being loaned to West Bromwich Albion and Everton, prior to his permanent move to Goodison Park two years ago.

But with Mourinho having the final say on Lukaku’s sale, Chelsea are prepared to pursue the 22-year-old for Conte this summer, with the club likely to cite Mourinho’s decision to sell the player as justification for attempting to bring him back to west London.

Conte is keen to reduce the average age of the Chelsea squad and sees Lukaku’s relative youth, combined with his Premier League experience, as a major plus point.

Antonio Conte will take over in the summer (Getty)

Lukaku’s goalscoring record in the Premier League with Everton has seen him score 28 times in 66 league games since the start of the 2014-15 campaign and, with Radamel Falcao, Alexandre Pato and Loic Remy all expected to leave Chelsea this summer, Conte has informed the club that he will need at least two new forwards.

And with Costa’s future also under a cloud due to ongoing interest from former club Atletico Madrid, Conte could arrive at Chelsea having to rebuild his entire attacking department.

Chelsea are set to face competition from Manchester United and Juventus for Lukaku, who has made no secret of his desire to play for an established powerhouse.

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