The agent of Romelu Lukaku has confirmed he will speak to the new Chelsea owners on his client’s future and admits a “problem” within the club.
The Belgian striker netted twice in his side’s 2-2 draw against Wolves on Saturday. The striker converted the penalty he won after being felled by Romain Saiss in the box before adding a second moments later with a first-time effort – although goals from Francisco Trincao and Conor Coady earned a draw for Wolves.
Lukaku’s brace separated by 138 seconds meant he became the Blues' outright top scorer in all competitions this campaign with 14 goals. Despite this, the striker who was the second-most expensive signing – behind only Jack Grealish - in the history of English football after completing a £98million move from Inter last year has become somewhat of a bit-part player at the Blues.
The 29-year-old went three months without a start in the Premier League and was also overlooked for his side’s four Champions League knockout round matches this campaign. That led to former Blues player Joe Cole claiming that Lukaku was fighting to save his career at Stamford Bridge.
The striker’s situation at the club has nosedived following the reaction to his sensational interview with the Italian press in late December, in which he spoke of his future and discontent with how his return to the Blues was panning out. The Chelsea striker revealed he was "not happy" at Stamford Bridge and questioned manager Thomas Tuchel's tactics which led to showdown talks with the club.
Lukaku’s agent Federico Pastorello has now admitted that there was a “problem” with his striker’s situation at the club but has remained coy over his future with suggestions of a potential summer exit from West London.
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Pastorello has said: "I’m not the one to discuss technical choices, but it is obvious that there was a problem. The numbers, however, must be weighted: he is the best scorer of the team this season, even with a lower playing time compared to his teammates.
"The situation must be carefully evaluated, now there’s a Champions League spot to secure, and the FA Cup final: Romelu is totally focused on that, we have not talked about anything else.
"It’s nonsense to speculate on negotiations: Chelsea have just defined the takeover of the club, we still don’t know our new interlocutors, let alone if we can hypothesize talks with Inter, AC Milan or whatever. We have to be patient and wait."
Lukaku is contracted at the club until the summer of 2026 and Tuchel may have to consider any decisions when it comes to the striker in the near future. The Belgian returned to the Blues last year after a seven-year absence following his first spell from 2011-2014 but his return has been hugely underwhelming thus far.
