Why Lukaku’s goal curse could benefit Chelsea in the transfer window

Romelu Lukaku’s unwanted highlights reel is becoming one of the stories of Euro 2024. Top of the VAR table. Another goal erased against Romania took his total to three in two games.

On the bright side, frustration might yet convert to elation for him and Chelsea. The ghost strikes at least remind potential suitors how dangerous Lukaku can be.

Despite a comic tendency to fluff his lines, Lukaku still gets hot. And when he does, look out. The goal chalked off against Romania was hardcore Rom, racing on to a killer pass from Kevin De Bruyne with only the keeper to beat.

Lukaku is deadly in plays like this, his shot dispatched side-footed with lethal disregard for the keeper’s feelings. Of course, it did not satisfy VAR’s ridiculous threshold, his toenail measured millimetres ahead of the last defender’s.

Such microscopic measures clearly confer no advantage since they are too small to make a difference. Yes, a line has to be drawn somewhere – blah, blah, blah – but surely it would be easier to accept were it measured in feet, not fractions.

No matter, on this occasion Belgium got the win and head to the final group fixture against Ukraine on Wednesday knowing a draw effectively guarantees progress to the knockout stages.

The upside for Chelsea is the more productive time, legal or otherwise, Lukaku spends in the shop window, the better their chances of removing his £13.5m salary from the accounts.

Lukaku has spent the past two seasons on loan following his disastrous return to Stamford Bridge in 2021. Inter Milan loved him but couldn’t afford to keep him. Roma likewise last term but, despite his taking a pay cut, they too cannot afford to renew.

At 31, Lukaku says he knows where he is going next, which appears to be Saudi Arabia, given his upbeat analysis on the ‘progress’ of the Saudi Pro League.

“I’m going to decide,” Lukaku told German channel RTL. “I am in control of my situation. I’m going to make a choice and once I explain it, everyone will agree with me.”

But he gave the game away, telling Belgian newspaper HLN: “The level will only rise [in Saudi]. To a much higher level than many people think. More and more players will tend to play there. Also because of how the fans experience football.

“The infrastructure still needs to be improved, but all major European top clubs know: ‘Saudi Arabia is coming’ – you already see that in boxing, golf, Formula One.”

We are a week away from the end of the Premier League’s current accounting year. Should Belgium fall against Ukraine, there might be time to rush a deal through before June 30 to ease Chelsea’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) concerns.

Chelsea are hoping for a fee of £37m for Lukaku, who has two years left on his contract following a return to the Bridge three years ago for the improbable fee of £97.5m.

When the ball is not bouncing off his shin pads, Lukaku’s capacity to bully defences is still apparent. He was heavily involved in Belgium’s opener against Romania, trading passes with De Bruyne before laying the ball into the path of Youri Tielemans to score.

Neither the salary nor the fee would trouble buyers in Saudi Arabia, where, you imagine, Lukaku would run up a cricket score on a good day.

Lukaku is Belgian’s all-time leading scorer with 85 goals and cracked 14 of those in Euro 2024 qualifying. Though he has not scored in a major tournament since 2020, one good night would change all that.

In a move Gareth Southgate would do well to emulate, Belgium made four changes to the side that lost to Slovakia, including the return of defenders Arthur Theate and Jan Vertonghen as well as Tielemans, plus the switch to the left of Jeremy Doku to accommodate Dodi Lukebakio on the right.

The result was a revitalised team playing in rhythm. And Lukaku was one of the principal beneficiaries, turning in a marauding performance that evoked his best days.

It also evinced from Theate a testimonial that might serve as sale material for Chelsea.

“He’s very important for us,” he said. “He creates a lot of chances, a lot of spaces, so if he carries on and keeps going like this, I’m sure he will score a lot of goals.”