Inter star Romelu Lukaku is a transfer target for Chelsea this summer, with the Blues looking for a world-class striker in this window.
football.london understands that Chelsea have had two bids turned down for Lukaku in this summer's transfer window, with their latest worth around £85m plus Marcos Alonso, which was rejected by the Serie A side as they look to keep hold of the former Blues striker.
The former Manchester United, Everton and West Brom striker has enjoyed a great spell in Italy, managing 64 goals and 16 assists in 95 games with Inter, winning the league title with Antonio Conte last season.
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Lukaku joined Chelsea from Belgian side Anderlecht in the summer of 2011. The 28-year-old struggled for game time at Stamford Bridge despite successful loan spells at West Bromwich Albion and Everton, and he ended up joining Everton on a permanent deal in 2013.
So, if Lukaku was to make his way back to Stamford Bridge this summer, how would he perform? Could he help Chelsea push for the Premier League title whilst defending their Champions League trophy?
To see what would happen, we simulated next season with Lukaku back at the club, and this is what happened.
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2021 editor to arrange for the Belgian striker to join the Blues ahead of next season.
This is what Lukaku's in-game profile looked like as of July 1st 2021.
Let's take a look at how Lukaku performed at Chelsea in the FM21 simulation of the 2021/22 season.
Chelsea's 2021/22 season with Lukaku
The Belgian had a stellar return to south London, leaving his mark on the Premier League as he finished top scorer in the league with 21 goals.
In all competitions, the 28-year-old played 47 games and registered 25 goals and three assists in total - averaging a rating of 7.28 per game.
Lukaku also managed five goal contributions in the Champions League as he impressed on the biggest stage in European football.
At the end of the 2021/22 season, Football Manager 2021 put together an overall best Chelsea XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics.
This is how the best Chelsea XI looked in 2021/22 according to FM21.
Full Chelsea best XI: Mendy; James, Rudiger, Zouma, Chilwell; Kante, Mount, Havertz; Pulisic, Werner, Lukaku.
Despite losing his role as the talisman in the Chelsea squad, Timo Werner still made it into the best XI of the season as a makeshift left-winger.
So, how did the Blues perform in all competitions in our simulated season with Lukaku in the squad?
Chelsea's 2021/22 season results with Lukaku
Despite having the league's top scorer and a full season under Thomas Tuchel's guidance, Chelsea weren't able to improve on last season's league position as they finished fourth for the second season in a row.
The Blues did improve however as they picked up nine more points than last season and scored nine more goals, but they also conceded six more.
With Champions League qualification confirmed, let's take a look at how Chelsea managed in the cup competitions.
Tuchel's side lost 2-1 to Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round and 2-1 to Leicester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals - a disappointing domestic campaign for Chelsea.
But, the simulation predicted that all that was needed for Chelsea to defend their European crown was a prolific striker, and Lukaku scored the all-important goal in the Champions League final that saw the Blues beat Bayern Munich 1-0, sealing consecutive Champions League trophies.
What an impact!
Overall, Lukaku's return was a positive for the Blues. They retained the Champions League, and despite not winning the league, they did improve their points tally as they continued to build on last season's success.
Football Manager predicts that if Chelsea manage to sign Lukaku this summer, the Belgian could lead the club to some major trophies next season.
Do you think a Lukaku return to Chelsea is the right move? Let us know in the comments below!
