Report: Chelsea considering £100M double swoop for Lukaku, Barkley
Antonio Conte won't rest on his laurels after what appears to be a surefire Premier League title and possible FA Cup triumph, as he's reportedly looking to the blue half of Merseyside to strengthen his Chelsea squad.
Everton striker Romelu Lukaku's apparent contract standoff with the club has led majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri to attempt to quell concerns that the Belgian is on his way in the summer, and Ross Barkley is yet to ink longer terms to his deal which expires in 2018.
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This has encouraged Chelsea to weigh up a double transfer in the summer, according to The Telegraph's Matt Law. Lukaku's asking price of over £65 million and Barkley's valuation of £30 million-plus would mean an agreement would likely cost around £100 million or more.
Although that would pose a huge spend - and the Blues weren't exactly timid last summer with a £115.6-million splurge - the £60-million January sale of Oscar to Shanghai SIPG and another potential departure to China for Diego Costa mean significant funds could be freed up by owner Roman Abramovich. AC Milan is also allegedly interested in Cesc Fabregas, while Nemanja Matic's first team spot isn't assured, leading to rumours of a move.
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Even if Costa sticks around, Lukaku would offer the brawn and pace to further shunt Michy Batshuayi out of consideration at Stamford Bridge. Lukaku, 23, was picked up by Chelsea aged 18, but his 2014 sale to Everton is seen as one of the biggest oversights of Jose Mourinho's tenure, along with Kevin De Bruyne's transfer to VfL Wolfsburg a few months earlier. The artilleryman is leading the Premier League scoring charts with Harry Kane on 19.
Sources told Law that Lukaku is keen to return to Chelsea, but the London outfit may face competition from Manchester United.
Barkley, also aged 23, has been subject to some harsh criticism of not fulfilling his potential since breaking through the Everton ranks, but has hit form with five assists in his last eight outings since being shunted closer to Lukaku by Toffees boss Ronald Koeman. Competitors for the Liverpudlian's signature could be Manchester City and Manchester United.