Chelsea look to have already identified the positions they hope to strengthen in the summer with a goalkeeper, central defender, striker and central midfielder all on the wish list. Malo Gusto and Christopher Nkunku will also join the club in the summer thus making it 13 new signings for 2023 if everything goes to plan, which means it is time for Todd Boehly and co. to begin plotting exits for many Chelsea stars.
Arsenal helped the Blues solve one of those problems in the January transfer window by signing Jorginho, who was out of contract in the summer, for £10million upfront with a further £2million available in add-ons. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's days at Chelsea appear numbered, while Hakim Ziyech could be another major departure from west London in the summer.
The long-term futures of Christian Pulisic, Edouard Mendy, Mason Mount and Kalidou Koulibaly are also unclear with a lack of game time and contract disagreements contributing to talk of a possible exit in the comings windows for all four.
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Another player, who is perhaps a forgotten man at Chelsea, is Romelu Lukaku who will see his loan spell at Inter come to an end in the summer. The Belgian has severely struggled with injuries in this campaign, but his return to fitness could not have come at a better time for Chelsea as they have made their summer stance on him clear.
According to CalcioMercatoWeb, Chelsea are open to selling Lukaku either on a permanent transfer or as part of another loan deal. Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has worked with the 29-year-old before and would be open to a reunion with him at Spurs.
The Italian certainly got the best out of Lukaku during their season together at San Siro where Inter won the Scudetto with Lukaku scoring 24 goals in 36 appearances.
Lukaku looks to have put his injury problems behind him and now faces a huge four months to determine where his footballing career goes next. His first opportunity to prove his worth looks set to arrive on the European stage in Inter's last-16 Champions League clash on February 22.
Tuesday's print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, report that the plan is for Lukaku to steadily increase his playing time before being handed a start against Porto in the Champions League.
That game and any further action for Inter in the Champions League could be key for both Chelsea and Lukaku to attract any potential suitors alongside Tottenham that can solve their situation by purchasing Lukaku in the summer transfer window.
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