Chelsea did not want to sign Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez this summer due to their experience with the Romelu Lukaku deal.
Speaking via football.london, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed that the Argentina international was never a topic for discussion for the Blues in the previous transfer window.
The West London club have become wary after spending ‘big money’ to sign Lukaku from Inter Milan in 2021 and they didn’t want to repeat that mistake.
Romano said:
“Lautaro Martínez was never a topic discussed in the summer with Chelsea. After paying big money for Romelu Lukaku in the past, they were not willing to do a similar kind of deal.”
Chelsea signed Lukaku for £97.5 million from Inter in the summer of 2021. However, the Belgium international has failed to meet expectations at the Blues and is currently on loan at AS Roma.
As per Fichajes, Chelsea have been linked with signing Martinez from the Nerazzurri, but he will cost around £129 million. Therefore, it seems wise for the West London club to look for other targets and not spend big on another striker who isn’t proven in England.
Lukaku’s return to Chelsea has not gone as expected, with the Belgian failing to replicate his goalscoring tally in England after enjoying two successful seasons in Italy at Inter.
Martinez has similarly been prolific for several years in Serie A for the Nerazzurri and has now been trusted with the captain’s armband at the club. However, the Argentine did show signs of frailty during the 2022 World Cup, with Julian Alvarez replacing him as Lionel Scaloni’s first-choice striker.
Chelsea’s worries up front
At Chelsea, they have struggled to find a reliable goalscorer since the departure of Diego Costa, with Nicolas Jackson trying his best to fill the void at the Blues up front.
However, the Senegalese international has shown a lack of quality regarding his end product. Mauricio Pochettino has not been able to get a tune out of his other forwards either so far.
Whether the return of Christopher Nkunku will change things at Chelsea remains to be seen, but the Frenchman is still months away from returning to full fitness.
