Chelsea flop Lukaku could be handed lifeline by former manager

Chelsea will be hoping to record their first victory of the season when they welcome Luton Town to Stamford Bridge on Friday evening. 

The Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Liverpool on the opening weekend of the season, before slumping to a 3-1 defeat against West Ham United on Sunday.

Despite the results, they have shown some promise during Mauricio Pochettino’s first two matches in charge, and the Argentine will be hoping that his side can cruise to victory over the Hatters.

Arguably their biggest issue so far this season has been scoring goals, with defender Axel Disasi and midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka the only players to have found the net so far.

Romelu Lukaku is still at the club but has been ousted from the first team setup, although it appears that the Belgian could soon be handed a lifeline by one of his former coaches.

According to The Evening Standard, Italian side Roma, managed by Jose Mourinho, have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Lukaku.

Lukaku could be set for a shock reunion with Jose Mourinho

The Belgium international worked under Mourinho during his first spell at Chelsea as a teenager, before a reunion at Manchester United a few years later.

The 30-year-old returned to Chelsea for a fee of £97.5 million in 2021 having fired Inter Milan to the Serie A title by netting 24 times in 36 league games, but his return to Stamford Bridge didn’t go to plan.

He scored just eight goals across all competitions and was largely an unused substitute during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, before being loaned back to Inter last summer.

The Belgian once again returned to West London at the end of last season, but now faces an uncertain future having failed to attract enough interest to secure a move away from Chelsea.

Despite this, Roma are reportedly now leading the race to land the ex-Man United star, after the Blues reluctantly decided to make the player available for loan.

The club had previously insisted that Lukaku must be sold, but failure to attract any offers has forced them into offering the striker out on loan.

Fellow Italian side AC Milan are also said to be monitoring the situation, while a previously proposed move by Juventus has since collapsed.