Mauricio Pochettino has revealed what the plan of action is for Romelu Lukaku this summer as Chelsea continue the mass exodus of players from the squad.
In a week that has seen club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and academy graduate Mason Mount both end their stays with the club, more are still to follow. With Pochettino now ending his first full week in charge having started officially on July 1, there is a little over one week before the pre-season tour of America gets underway.
When it comes to the group of players he will have available, Pochettino gave little away when speaking to the press for the first time as Blues coach. "I think when I was outside, I was hearing different opinions about Chelsea and the squad being too big," he said.
"For me a fresh start and who is coming to come. I don't think too much about that. People come in, go out." He also admitted in his first interview, released on Monday, that having players committed to the club was more important than anything.
When it comes to those with an uncertain future, few are more in the spotlight than Lukaku. Having spent the past season on loan in Italy with Inter, the Belgian wishes to return back to San Siro once more but has found Serie A finances, logistics of a potential sale and large wages to scupper progress so far.
He has also been linked with a transfer to Saudi Arabia but has reportedly turned down offers from the Middle East so far in a bid to push through another exit on his own terms. He is, for now, still a Chelsea player and will be a big question mark hanging over Pochettino until the situation is resolved.
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When asked about his position in the squad heading into the 2023/24 campaign, the Argentine manager said: "He needs to come back July 12/13 to be part of the squad to start pre-season.
"With all the players that arrive, first thing that they're doing is to come to my office and say hello. That's what I expect if he's still a Chelsea player."
There are those that have already left that may not even have had a chance to meet with Pochettino but whilst the days pass by now, the instruction has been set and the meeting is all but set up already. The decision to leave a more immediate exit open does keep the chance of a sale in the coming weeks on the cards, regardless.
In the meantime, it waits to be seen if Lukaku will be returning to Cobham for those talks with Pochettino or if a deal to take him away from the club will be resolved without the need for managerial intervention.
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