Barcelona make decision after being offered chance to sign 30-year-old Chelsea star - Reports
With Chelsea desperate to get rid of out-of-favor striker Romelu Lukaku, the Blues have reportedly offered the Belgian to Barcelona. The claim comes from renowned football journalist Matteo Moretto, who has also stated that the Blaugrana are not considering signing Lukaku at any cost.
Barcelona are currently stacked in the number nine position, with Robert Lewandowski leading their lines. The Polish forward bagged 33 goals across all competitions in his debut campaign with the Catalan giants, also finishing as the top scorer in La Liga ahead of Karim Benzema.
Moreover, with young Brazillian prodigy Vitor Roque destined to land in Camp Nou next January, Barca have ruled out the possible signing of Romelu Lukaku. Consequently, Chelsea have the tough task of finding new suitors for the 30-year-old forward. If reports are to be believed, Jose Mourinho's Roma are interested in acquiring the services of the Belgian striker.
Lukaku, who was initially linked with a move to Juventus, is now close to securing a loan move to the Giallorossi. Having already signed Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea are trying to arrange a transfer for Lukaku as soon as possible and could be open to letting him leave on a loan deal. Nevertheless, no official bid has been offered by Roma at the time of writing.
Barcelona and Chelsea previously locked horns in the summer transfer window of 2022
Barcelona and Chelsea have faced each other on multiple occasions in the UEFA Champions League, giving fans some of the most memorable matches on the European stage. However, the two European giants took their on-field battle to the transfer market last summer, going against one another for the signing of a player on multiple occasions.
The Blues were in pole position to land Raphinha, with Leeds United having accepted a €75m offer from Chelsea, as reported by Barca Universal. Nevertheless, the player ended up at Camp Nou, having expressed his dream to play for the Blaugrana.
The Premier League giants also lost the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde to Barcelona. Additionally, they were unable to poach Ousmane Dembele away from Catalonia, with the Frenchman choosing to stay put. The winger eventually signed for French champions PSG in the 2023 summer transfer window.
To make matters worse for the west London outfit, they also had to witness veterans Marco Alonso and Andreas Christensen ditch their iconic blue for Barcelona's red and blue.
While the clubs are once again linked with a possible transfer between them, the chances of Lukaku ending up in Spain are slight at best.