Chelsea Rumors: Blues Eye Lukaku's Former Teammate Amid Tuchel's Erling Haaland Transfer Admission

Chelsea is expected to splurge again on transfers, but Erling Haaland may not be one of them.

Following the completion of Romelu Lukaku’s return to Chelsea this past summer, the Blues are now targeting the Belgian striker’s compatriot, Real Madrid star Eden Hazard, El Nacional reported.

Los Blancos’ hierarchy has grown tired of Hazard’s proneness to injury, and the emergence of Vinicius Junior could prompt the Spanish side to part ways with the midfielder, the report said. International Business Times could not independently verify this report.

Moreover, a reported plan to make a move for PSG’s Kylian Mbappe may also push Real Madrid to let Hazard go, according to the outlet. Hence, a return to Chelsea could be on the cards for Hazard, with the Blues convinced that he has a future and could be tempted by the right deal structure, the report said.

Hazard left Chelsea for Real Madrid in 2019 for a staggering €100 million ($116 million) transfer.

Should another deal happen between Chelsea and Real Madrid, Hazard will be reunited with Lukaku at Stamford Bridge once again, having played together for a short period of time in the 2013-14 season.

Aside from Hazard, Borussia Dortmund’s goal machine Haaland is also heavily linked to a switch to Chelsea.

The Blues are rumored to have been prioritizing a transfer swoop for Haaland in recent times. It reached a crescendo after Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said in an interview with Sport Bild that he has "no problem" pairing the Norwegian striker with his current marksman Lukaku.

Tuchel’s comment “provoked a furious reaction” from Borussia Dortmund, and he was forced to lift the lid on the matter, ESPN reported.

According to Tuchel, he felt like he “fell into a trap” as he was told to receive an award but ended up being quizzed on his thoughts about the Haaland rumors.

"I fell into a trap," Tuchel said. "I got an award in Germany. I got an award from a newspaper and they asked me about a player. Normally I never, never speak about other players because simply I never, ever do.”

Tuchel went on to clarify that his comment about Haaland was a “joke” as he and the media were having a bit of “fun” about it.

“Then we were making more or less fun about it,” the German coach emphasized. “I should have known better because [I was] making fun about it and being a nice guy and answering a question instead of 'no, I don't want to answer a question.'”

"Getting this award and I joke about a double striker with Romelu [Lukaku] in October and then it gets like we put in an offer,” he added. “That was the context but OK, I should have known better."