Romelu Lukaku, Antoine Griezmann back in Chelsea’s transfer rumour mill

The possibility of a Diego Costa departure in the summer has put Romelu Lukaku and Antoine Griezmann back in the mix for Chelsea transfer rumours.

Between the money from the Oscar sale and the amount that Chelsea would receive from selling Diego Costa, Chelsea should be able to buy any players they want to this summer. The Blues’ deep needs and deep pockets mean that only the finest strikers are being considered to replace Costa.

Romelu Lukaku is on the verge of signing a new contract at Everton. He will do so, though, knowing that the Champions League is an increasingly distant aspiration for the Toffees.

The combination of players, managers and money among the Premier League’s top six teams will cement those clubs in the top six for some time to come. Everton are currently in seventh place, seven points behind Manchester United in sixth and 11 points behind Arsenal in 4th. Everton’s best route to the Champions League may be winning the Europa League, but Lukaku surely will not want to wait that long.

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Antoine Griezmann has spoken repeatedly about the mutual interest with Manchester United. His £85 million release clause from Atletico Madrid precludes all but a very few teams worldwide. Purchasing Griezmann would limit the rest of Chelsea’s transfer activity in the summer.

"It is normal that the best teams in the world want him. I am not surprised that the teams who are looking are the ones who can afford him. – Diego Simeone, Evening Standard"

Neither player emerges with a clear edge over the other. Romelu Lukaku is younger, so he would have more time to learn from Antonio Conte and to play more of his prime years at Chelsea. He is able to use his size and power to hold up play as effectively as Costa does. This was one of the key elements missing from Chelsea when Costa is not in the lineup.

On the other hand, Griezmann can better create offense from nothing. Lukaku’s goal-scoring is very dependent on others. He needs quality service from his wingers or midfielders, or a muffed rebound or clearance that he can tuck away from close range. Lukaku is too often the offense version of Gary Cahill, standing and pointing emphatically rather than taking the initiative.

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Replacing Diego Costa is one of the few areas where Chelsea will need to purchase a striker rather than promote from within. As strong as Tammy Abraham or Bertrand Traore are in their current postings, neither can replicate Costa’s output or presence.

Then again, perhaps with Diego Costa fully out of the picture Antonio Conte will play Michy Batshuayi for more than 10 minutes at a stretch. Now there’s an implausible silly season rumour.