In 2017, Chelsea were looking for a new striker after Antonio Conte's infamous message to Diego Costa.
When asked about the best possible replacement for Costa, the then-Sky Sports pundit Frank Lampard named a forward that he already knew well
"I know [Romelu] Lukaku from playing with him at Chelsea," Lampard said.
"It was early on in his career and maybe Chelsea was too early for him, he didn’t get the chances and he has certainly developed to a huge degree since leaving the club.
"Lukaku would be a great option. The only thing Chelsea have to look at is the inflated market which is around now. It’s tough.
"In terms of an all-round striker who is proven to have scored goals last year at Everton and for the last two or three seasons in the Premier League, he would be an option. But there are others and I wouldn’t want to try and second guess Chelsea.
"I’m sure they will want to find a player of the same type as Diego Costa. They need a physical presence, they have got a lot of skilful players behind, but they will need to find someone who can replicate what Costa did – give them a physical presence but also get them 20-plus goals a season.”
Back then, Lukaku ended up joining Man United from Everton for around £75m, while Chelsea signed Alvaro Morata for almost £60m instead.
Four years later, the Belgian international appears to be set to re-sign for the Blues, after all, having worked with Conte at Inter and scoring 47 goals in 72 Serie A games in the last two seasons.
