24 August 2023 , 21:30
943
0
Mauricio Pochettino is under orders not to pick Romelu Lukaku.
Pochettino admitted he has not even spoken to Lukaku since taking charge because Chelsea made it clear they want to offload the £97.5m misfit before the end of the transfer window.
Lukaku, 30, is on course to become the most expensive mistake in Premier League history but Chelsea are running out of time to offload him this summer just two years after his club record move to Stamford Bridge.
Juventus have offered just £35m, Roma are only interested in a loan deal while Inter Milan cannot afford his wages and Lukaku has been reluctant to move to Saudi Arabia.
Chelsea boss Pochettino said: “The situation with the player you are asking, is a situation that was already really clear before we arrived here. There was a wish between the club and the player to try to find a solution.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
“At the moment we are relaxed and nothing happened. If something changes we will inform you. If the player and club’s wish is to find a solution, it's not me, it's them.
“In that case, the player and the club will meet and inform me that things have changed. I'm not going to move until the club or the player wants to talk with me. I am here, I accept the situation that was here when I arrived.”
Lukaku has turned into one of Chelsea's most expensive mistakes (Getty Images)Chelsea are determined to offload Lukaku who has made it plain he wants to leave. But Pochettino admitted that things can change in football - even if there is little hope in this case.
Pochettino said: “The future can change things. Life can change. I saw Jurgen Klopp say I'm not going to be in this business when we should pay £100million, and then they offered £100million for Moises Caicedo and he said: 'Oh, I made a mistake.’
“That is the same situation. In football, the dynamic is fast and changes and we need to move on. Today, nothing has changed. If something changes we will adapt to the situation.”
However, Pochettino has warned the club against making a “mess” in the final days of the window by signing a player who blocks the progress of other players like Armando Broja, Carney Chukwuemeka or Christopher Nkunku and can lead to a bloated, unhappy squad.
Pochettino added: “If you bring in a player that is not fit or needs to adapt to the Premier League, maybe you are going to spend the same time you wait for Broja, or Nkunku or Carney.
“Then you are going to create a mess in the squad. That is why we are working really hard to analyse the situation.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea have signed Brazil teenager Deivid Washington, 18, from Santos in an £18.7m deal and are still on the lookout for another striker to bolster the squad.