Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues advised to offload Romelu Lukaku; club willing to pay €60 million for Villarreal defender, and more - 29 April 2022

Chelsea could only manage a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Thursday in the Premier League. The visitors took the lead through Marcos Alonso in the 60th minute, but Cristiano Ronaldo restored parity for the Red Devils two minutes later.

Meanwhile, Glenn Hoddle has advised the Blues to offload Romelu Lukaku. Elsewhere, the London giants are willing to pay €60 million for a Villarreal defender.

On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on 29th April 2022:

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Glenn Hoddle advises Chelsea to offload Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku has cut a sorry figure this season.

Former Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle has advised the Blues to offload Romelu Lukaku this summer. The Belgian striker has cut a sorry figure since arriving at Stamford Bridge last summer. The 28-year-old has dropped down the pecking order under manager Thomas Tuchel and has been relegated to the bench.

Speaking to Optus Sport, as relayed by TEAMtalk, Hoddle said that Lukaku must be moved on if he doesn’t suit Tuchel’s style of play.

“It is a problem; he is not a sub; he needs to play. He looks like he physically needs to play back-to-back games to get in the groove. He has got to be moved on if it is not suiting the way that Tuchel wants to play,” said Hoddle.

He continued:

“I think he is going to move him on, I really do. Whether he needs another striker to come in and whether there is the finances to do it, there are all those scenarios behind the scenes."

Liverpool legend Michael Owen believes Chelsea could be ready to reignite their search for a new number nine this summer. He said:

“They started the season so well, and Lukaku against Arsenal, he was absolutely brilliant. I remember lots of people saying ‘I can’t see Chelsea getting beat in this league this season’,” said Owen.

He continued:

“All of a sudden, it has just undone, and now come the end of the season we’re all questioning if he is the right player. So back to the drawing board for Chelsea in that position. They paid a lot of money; they won’t get that back. They will do well to get half of it back. That could be a little bit painful for them."

Lukaku has scored just 12 times across competitions this season. That includes just five Premier League strikes in 23 games, including 13 starts. He came on for the last 20 minutes against United but failed to make an impact.

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Blues willing to pay €60 million for Pau Torres

Pau Torres is wanted at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea are willing to pay up to €60 milliom for Pau Torres, according to The Hard Tackle via La Razon.

The Blues are looking to invest in their backline this summer. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are both set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. Tuchel wants to bring in a new world-class centre-back to take their place.

Torres has emerged as a possible option after a string of impressive games for Villarreal. The Spanish defender has generated a lot of interest from clubs around Europe. The Premier League giants are in the mix for his signature.

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Thomas Tuchel opens up on Kai Havertz form

Kai Havertz has shown signs of a wane in recent weeks.

Thomas Tuchel is not too worried about Kai Havertz’ recent dip in form. The German international has flourished in the number nine role this season but has struggled in the last couple of weeks.

Speaking after the game against Manchester United, Tuchel hinted that Havertz might be tired due to the work he puts on the pitch.

“He needs to fight back into his shape. It is like this; I have the same feeling. Hopefully, he shows a reaction. The guys are still young up front, and we will not start pointing fingers because lately, they have been very, very composed and very efficient in front of goal. Against Southampton and in the win at the Bernabeu, we took our chances very well and very precisely,” said Tuchel.

He continued:

"It's like this. When we look at the data and think about who plays and who does not play, we see a huge amount of intensity and sprints from Kai and Timo (Werner). So they don't arrive fully, fully fresh at the moment in these matches, and that's why we will always protect them because it's a team game we play, and we demand a lot off the ball to have high recoveries. But I agree, in the last weeks, he had a kind of shape and form that he would've put this game to bed for us."