Chelsea Rumors: Blues 'Kill Off' Shot At Another Prolific Striker By Signing Lukaku – Report

Chelsea appears to be content with Romelu Lukaku and may not want to continue chasing its other highly-rated target, according to a report.

After weeks of courtship, Inter Milan’s Lukaku is finally close to signing with Chelsea, various outlets reported, including The Athletic and ESPN. With the Belgian striker all set to join the Blues, it has become apparent that the team is unlikely to pursue its other top target, Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.

Thomas Tuchel’s side is looking forward to getting the Lukaku deal done immediately after being silent about the progress of the said transfer. Hence, Chelsea “had effectively abandoned” its hopes of landing Haaland, and the signing of Lukaku even “kills off any chance” of swooping for the Norwegian “next summer,” Football.london reported, citing unnamed sources.

International Business Times could not independently verify this information.

Prior to the Lukaku deal, Chelsea manager Tuchel was quizzed on the club’s real stance on the matter. According to Tuchel, Lukaku is a “fantastic player,” but he hopes the media understands if he doesn’t want to talk about specific players and transfers.

“I will not talk about players who don't play in my squad,” the German said at a press conference following Chelsea's 2-2 friendly draw with Tottenham. “[Lukaku’s] a fantastic player but he's an Inter player and I will not talk about him in this situation. You can imagine a lot of players want to come and join but we will not talk about that.”

“The board isn't offering players, that's not how it works. We talk to the board about players, have our own opinions, and in the end we target players who in our opinion could make our squad strong, which is quite a challenge,” he added. “There are some players of which we think they can be a good target and improvement in our squad. I will not comment on names as I don't like it when other coaches speak about my players. So hopefully you understand that.”

An earlier report said that Borussia Dortmund has already turned down Chelsea’s “informal player-plus-cash proposal” for Haaland, and the German outfit has “not received any bid” from the Blues even before the Lukaku deal materialized.

Haaland’s outstanding performance at Bundesliga has made him one of the most expensive players in the sport.

Big-name clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United are believed to be ready to make an offer of around £150 million ($209 million) for his signature. However, Haaland insisted that even if the aforementioned figure is true, he is happy with Borussia Dortmund.

“I hope it’s only rumors because it’s a lot of money for a person," Haaland said. "First of all, I have three years left on my contract. I’m enjoying my time here. But of course, the trophy (last season's German Cup) was important because that's what I want.”