Ray Parlour urges Everton to sign Chelsea outcast Romelu Lukaku live on talkSPORT
talkSPORT pundit Ray Parlour has urged Everton to consider signing Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea in the final week of the transfer window.
Lukaku has not featured in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for Chelsea’s opening two Premier League games of the season.
A return to Serie A with Juventus now looks unlikely, meaning the Belgium international is potentially facing a season of being left out in the cold at Stamford Bridge.
But Parlour has followed Tony Bellew and journalist Dan Bardell in touting Lukaku with a return to Goodison Park.
“Well, I’m just thinking, what about Everton?” he said on talkSPORT’s Breakfast Show [25 August, 06:25).
“I know they’re not struck with a lot of money at the moment, but could they get him on loan? Because he did really well at Everton, didn’t he?
“Maybe the Everton fans will say, ‘we need a better strike force at the moment’. Maybe Lukaku fits in there?”
Nothing to prove
Everton desperately need a new striker, while Lukaku is quite simply in need of some loving after being ostracised at Chelsea.
This deal therefore makes perfect sense – or at least it would if it wasn’t for the small matter of money.
Chelsea had previously been holding out for around £35million from Juventus for Lukaku [Evening Standard], which is out of Everton’s price range.
The Toffees may have been willing to spend big on Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto, but that was in the knowledge the youngster had a resale value.
Either a cut-price transfer or a loan could be tempting, though, and it would make sense for Everton to at least open dialogue with Chelsea.
That is assuming Lukaku would be interested in joining Everton, whom he previously scored 87 goals for in 166 appearances across four seasons.
Still aged just 30, he still has plenty to offer. Having proved all there is to prove, finding a place where he can enjoy his football must be a priority.
The famous saying suggests you should never return to a former lover, yet in this case it is a transfer that ticks pretty much every box.
In other Everton news, Ian Ladyman has shared his big fear for the Toffees ahead of moving into their new stadium.