Chelsea boss Tuchel names ideal replacement for Lukaku

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is keen on signing Robert Lewandowski as a replacement for Romel Lukaku, who is expected to return to Inter Milan this summer. 

Lukaku is believed to be close to securing a return to Italy, with a season-long loan deal the most likely conclusion to tough second spell with Chelsea.

If and when he does leave, Tuchel has identified Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski as his prime target to replace him, according to ESPN.

No player in the major European leagues scored more goals than the Polish striker last season, as he ended up with 50 goals across all competitions for the German champions.

Lewandowski looks unlikely to return to Bayern

It seems his time in the Bundesliga is coming to an end, though, as he recently released a statement in which he claimed it was almost impossible for him to continue with the club.

Since then, the 33-year-old has been linked with a number of clubs, including Barcelona and Real Madrid.

According to the report, though, the Blues are interested in landing the Poland international.

It is also claimed that deals for both Lukaku and Lewandowski could prove tricky, with ‘several obstacles’ standing in the way of both potential transfers.

Lewandowski has scored 344 goals in 374 games for Bayern since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2014; in that time he has also won 19 trophies including eight Bundesliga titles and the Champions League.