Newcastle United are ready to challenge Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku next summer, once his loan spell at Inter Milan expires.
That’s according to CalcioMercatoWeb, who suggest the Serie A giants are unlikely to try to retain the Belgium international beyond his current deal.
As a result, it is believed Spurs (if Antonio Conte is still in charge by then) and the Magpies could look to recruit the 29-year-old.
Elsewhere, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich have all been touted with possible interest.
Lukaku re-joined the Blues in the summer of 2021 in a stunning deal worth £97.5m.
Newcastle interested in Lukaku
Despite having amassed 121 goals in the Premier League, this still seems like an unlikely prospect for Eddie Howe’s side.
Lukaku is set to turn 30-years-old this summer. To the contrary, the Tyneside outfit have adopted a youth-inclined approach since the arrival of PIF. This means any move for the striker would be going against the side’s transfer policy.
Furthermore, the Belgian is reportedly on a contract worth an astonishing £350,000-a-week.
Currently, Bruno Guimaraes tops the list of earners at St James’ Park with £160,000-a-week, and Alexander Isak comes in second on £120,000-a-week.
Newcastle would certainly not break their wage structure to bring the Chelsea man to the club – regardless of how prolific he could end up being.
Although he has been hailed by world-class defender Leandro Bonucci as a ‘complete striker’, it seems like Lukaku’s stay in the Premier League has come to an end.
Therefore, although he may be a good signing on the short-term (without the crazy money involved), this isn’t a likely prospect with Dan Ashworth’s well-run model.
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