Chelsea ‘identify’ £50m Romelu Lukaku replacement as Raheem Sterling told to snub transfer

Chelsea could have already found their replacement for departing striker Romelu Lukaku, according to reports, with the latter set to complete a loan move to Inter Milan.

Richarlison is believed to be the player that Blues stars want to replace Lukaku, as per the Sun.

The newspaper claims Chelsea have ‘joined the race’ for the Everton forward, with London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur also interested in him.

They add that Richarlison is valued at £50m and his ‘fiery’ style of play, alongside his ‘aggression and tenacity’ are ‘decisive factors’ as to why Blues stars want him at Stamford Bridge.

The Brazilian, who has two years remaining on his contract in Merseyside, was charged by the FA for improper conduct for throwing a smoke bomb into the stands at Goodison Park after celebrating his goal against Thomas Tuchel’s side last season.

Richarlison was the Toffees’ top scorer in the last campaign, netting 11 goals and registering five assists in all competitions.

Everton survived relegation from the Premier League last season after a poor performance in the competition.

In other transfer news, Raheem Sterling, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea this summer, has been urged not to join Tuchel’s side from Manchester City by ex-Sky Blues midfielder, Trevor Sinclair.

The latter believes if Sterling switches the Etihad Stadium for Stamford Bridge, he will no longer be competing for the Premier League title.

Sinclair told talkSPORT: “I would say no because I don’t think Chelsea will be competitive with Man City and Liverpool next season.

“They’ve lost players, the club is in a transitional phase where they’ve lost a lot of players and they’ve got to do a lot of rebuilding.

“They’ve got a new man at the helm [Boehly] to do that. I think there’s a hell of a lot of work for Chelsea to do this summer.

“Listen, Raheem is a quality player and a quality operator and Chelsea could compete next season, but the new owner has a big job on his hands.”

Sterling joined City from Liverpool in 2015 and has won 10 trophies at the Etihad, including four league titles and one FA Cup.