Signing Michy Batshuayi in July this summer, Chelsea Football Club were expected to partner the exciting Belgium striker with the enigmatic Diego Costa, but recent rumors seem to indicate otherwise.
Currently, Chelsea are locked in a head-to-head battle with Atletico Madrid and their approaches to sign Costa, while new manager Antonio Conte is targeting former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku as a potential strike partner for Batshuayi. Recent reports, though, seem to indicate various positives running in Chelsea’s favor.
Starting with the player currently at Chelsea, there is a strong belief from Conte and higher ups that the striker is committed to the cause at Chelsea and will remain in London for at least another season according to The Times. The interesting revelation that comes out of this is the fact that Chelsea seem to threatening Madrid with action if they don’t cease their pursuit of Costa.
The Times is also reporting that Chelsea have been angered by Madrid’s approaches and have sent two legal letters to the club, threatening to report their actions to FIFA.
Costa, who has been the talk of much of Chelsea’s preseason campaign in the United States, has been rumored to be unsettled for much of last season with Conte also not speaking favorably of the striker saying “I speak for today and today Costa is Chelsea’s player. Tomorrow if you ask me if Costa will remain with us, I don’t know,” after Chelsea’s 3-2 loss to Real Madrid.
Looking to bring in reinforcements, though, Conte seems to be hot on the heels of pursuing Lukaku, with The Standard reporting that the Belgium striker might consider handing in a transfer request to force a move back to Chelsea. The Standard reports that Lukaku views Chelsea as the next step to advancing his career, with the prolific goal scorer being viewed as a strike partner for Costa.
While his current price tag sits above £70 million, Chelsea believe they can acquire Lukaku for less. It is reported by The Times that Everton did not pay the full £28 million price tag up front for Lukaku when they purchased him from Chelsea, meaning the money owed to Chelsea could be utilized to drive the Belgian strikers price tag down.
Chelsea are clearly in the midsts of trying to deepen their squad, with a focus on defense in Shkodran Mustafi and Kalidou Koulibaly and up front in Lukaku.
