Chelsea reportedly closing in on Raphinha as Romelu Lukaku flies to Milan

Chelsea‘s summer transfer window is finally seeing some action with wantaway Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku on the verge of completing his loan move to Inter Milan and the Blues preparing a fresh bid for Leeds winger Raphinha.

Lukaku’s loan move to Inter was confirmed a week back, pending a medical, which, according to the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano, is set to be completed in the coming hours before the Belgian striker is officially announced.

Reportedly, the big Belgian is taking a massive pay cut to join Inter, who will cover his reduced annual salary of €8 million, down from €12 million at Chelsea. If Lukaku performs well in the Serie A, Chelsea will also receive bonuses in the form of add-ons.

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With Lukaku, Antonio Rudiger, and Andreas Christensen all on their way out, Chelsea are looking to bolster their squad, reportedly through the acquisition of two wingers, which manager Thomas Tuchel deems to be a top priority for the club.

Among Chelsea’s reported targets are Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and Leeds’ Raphinha. 

While Chelsea are still in the process of agreeing with City for the signature of 27-year-old Sterling, negotiations between the Blues and Leeds for Raphinha are reportedly at a much more advanced stage, with the clubs having reached an agreement on the fee for the Brazilian.

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Chelsea are reportedly offering Leeds an amount ranging between £60 million and £65 million, including add-ons, and are working on agreeing personal terms with 25-year-old from Brazil and his agent, Deco.

Signing Raphinha would be a first major step in Tuchel’s attempts to revamp Chelsea’s attack, which was far behind in potency in comparison to that of Premier League winners Manchester City and runners-up Liverpool.

That being said, Chelsea will also need to sign defensive reinforcements this summer if they are to have a realistic chance to challenging for silverware against the likes of City and Liverpool, and potentially a resurgent Tottenham Hotspur.