Romelu Lukaku was finding first team opportunities hard to come by at Chelsea at the beginning of the season and he made it clear he was quite unhappy at the prospect of spending the season watching from the sidelines. As a result Lukaku requested to be sent out on loan as he felt he needed to be playing first team football. Former Chelsea coach Steve Clarke managed to work out a deal with his old club and West Brom signed Lukaku on a season-long loan deal and he promptly had a stellar year for the Baggies leading the line and becoming their first choice striker.

He scored a highly respectable 17 league goals in his one year at The Hawthorns and was by far their best player throughout the season. His stock has risen considerably over the season and he has matured into one of the most threatening strikers in the English Premier League.

Lukaku is now back with his parent club in west London and of course there is fresh speculation as to where he will be playing his football next season. Even though the young Belgian has exceeded expectations on his loan spell it still seems like he is going to have his work cut out forcing his way into the first team picture with the blues.

Chelsea’s fellow Londoners West Ham are interested in his services, as reported by Metro. Hammers chairman, David Sullivan, spoke to the press where he spoke of his desire to bring the 20-year old to Upton Park, and is hopeful that Lukaku will choose to stay in London rather than going back to West Brom. He is quoted as saying, “Lukaku would be a loan again. We’d maybe buy him a year later if Chelsea decide they don’t want him.”

“Lukaku has been amazing for West Brom this season and I’d hope that he would prefer to live in London.”

West Ham are already in pole position to sign Andy Carroll from Liverpool on a permanent basis, and Sullivan feels that a partnership of Carroll and Lukaku would strengthen their attack in a serious way. Speaking about their possible partnership, he said, “If we sign Andy, it would be a record signing for the club.”

“He and Romelu would be devastating. The best strike-force outside of the top six or seven.”

Do you think that the prospect of staying in London with West Ham will appeal to Lukaku more than returning to West Brom for next season?