Former Premier League duo Rio Ferdinand and Alan Shearer agree on ‘perfect’ Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea move, as transfer nears completion.
Lukaku, 28, is due to sign an initial five-year contract in west London ahead of his proposed homecoming to the club that he has ‘unfinished’ business with.
football.london understands that a fee of £97.5million has been agreed between Marina Granovskaia and the Inter Milan board, as Thomas Tuchel closes in on his much-needed ‘world-class’ striker ahead of a potential Premier League title charge next season.
All that is left to complete the deal is the final medical checks, with the initial tests completed in Italy before an official announcement from the club.
Unfortunately, the Belgian talisman is unlikely to make it in time for the UEFA Super Cup clash with Europa League winners Villarreal on Wednesday in Belfast, with the final registration deadline at 11pm on Tuesday night.
Consequently, the 28-year-old is expected to join up with the squad ahead of the Blues’ opening Premier League match against Crystal Palace on the weekend.
In the build-up to Lukaku’s potential debut in the London derby, the striker has certainly attracted many plaudits from former players who are excited to see the ex-Manchester United forward return to the Premier League.
All-time current Premier League top scorer Alan Shearer has already given his verdict on Serie A’s MVP winner of 2020/21 during the 2018 World Cup campaign.
Eden Hazard’s International teammate starred in a 2-1 quarter-finals win over Brazil, as the striker’s performance helped the Red Devils win on this occasion – despite not scoring either of the two goals.
Lukaku received high praise from the Shearer, who discussed Lukaku’s dominance in the BBC studio.
“I’ve been very, very impressed with him. Pace, power, touch, strength, technique; bringing people into the game and he’s played that role very well because he’s been asked to do a different one – to pull out wide a little bit to create space for [Eden] Hazard or [Kevin] De Bruyne,” Shearer said.
“You could tell after four or five minutes when the ball went up to him you thought, ‘he’s in the mood tonight’. I think this is one of the best 45 minutes we’ve seen of Lukaku.
“Once he’s got that yard in front of you you’re not catching him because he’s that quick and too strong. All he needs is the goal and you’ve got the perfect centre-forward performance.”