Romelu Lukaku is being heavily linked with a return to Chelsea this summer and it would be wise for the Blues to go all-out to land the services of the Belgian striker, particularly as speculation on Diego Costa’s future at Stamford Bridge continues to rise.

The Spaniard has struggled to maintain the top levels of form during the second-half of the Premier League campaign and has seen his performance levels drop since a high-profile clash with Antonio Conte in the January transfer window.

Having had his head turned by interest from China in the mid-season window, and publicly confirming he tried to seal a return to Atletico Madrid last summer, the likelihood is Costa will not be a Chelsea player by the end of the summer transfer window.

Replacing a striker of Costa’s calibre will certainly not be easy but Chelsea have been handed the perfect deal on a plate, as Romelu Lukaku seems set to leave Everton this summer in pursuit of Champions League football. The other strong option is Alexis Sanchez who has certainly been strongly linked with a move across London to join the Blues. The question is would Sanchez be able to provide the physical presence that Costa does or Lukaku can – the answer is probably not.

Lukaku already has a reputation with Chelsea having been on their books previously and has made it clear he feels he has unfinished business at Stamford Bridge, which should give the Belgian the desire to be a huge success in West London.

Deadly in front of goal, in the air, strong and aggressive, Lukaku is the perfect fit for Chelsea in their attempts to replace Diego Costa and the fact that the Belgian is yet to turn 24 means he could dominate their line-up for years to come.

If Chelsea want to build on their likely success in the Premier League this season and establish themselves on the European front once again, then signing Lukaku would be a major statement of intent and would be seen by many as an upgrade on Costa.

However, Lukaku’s signature is set to be expensive and Chelsea will have to smash their £50m club transfer record, which was paid to Liverpool for Fernando Torres, in order to bring the young striker in from Goodison Park. Signing Sanchez would likely also cost over the £50 million paid for Torres so either option is a big money move.

That money would be well spent though and the price-tag of either player would send a major statement of intent to their Premier League rivals, showing they’re capable of matching the spending from both Manchester clubs in the transfer market.

Whilst Antonio Conte seems to prefer signing Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid, it’s clear Romelu Lukaku is the better player and the fact he’s already well established in the Premier League will quickly help him settle to life in West London.