Transfer News: Tottenham boss Antonio Conte eyes Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku as potential Harry Kane replacement
As per Italian publication CalcioMercato (h/t football.london), Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte is contemplating a move for Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku, in the event that the Italian loses talisman Harry Kane any time soon.
Conte only moved to North London in November after the Italian was approached by Spurs to replace Nuno Espirito Santo, who the club sacked after a poor string of results. The Italian was out of a job after he left Inter Milan the previous summer, after leading them to a Serie A title.
The former Inter Milan boss is looking to reunite with Chelsea’s Lukaku, who was his frontman in Italy. The Belgian striker was instrumental in Conte’s Scudetto triumph while at Inter, turning into a goal machine alongside Lautaro Martinez as they led them to their first Serie A title in eleven years.
There is growing concern at Tottenham that Kane could leave at the end of the season if Spurs do not win any silverware and guarantee success with Conte at the helm. The Italian was brought to the club in an attempt to bring trophies to N17, with the Spurs boss having an impressive track record of winning everywhere he goes.
Kane, meanwhile, has not enjoyed an impressive league season so far, failing to find the back of the net and add to his goal record as much as he did last campaign. The Englishman has set a high standard for himself when it comes to scoring goals, but has failed to reach his usual heights, which will worry the Lilywhites.
Lukaku for Chelsea?
Conte, however, has backed Kane to come good and is said to be satisfied with the 28-year-old’s efforts this season. The Italian also said that he sees the striker as a central part of Spurs’ future, believing that the club should hold on to top players like Kane who can fire them to success with their talent.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy knew exactly what he was doing when he approached Conte to take up the job at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, managing to convince one of the world’s best tacticians and coaches in an attempt to bring long-awaited silverware to the club.
The move was not only a message to other clubs about their ambitions, but also to our players. Kane certainly seems to have gotten the idea, praising Conte and issuing a rallying cry to his teammates to back their boss so they can be successful together. The 29-year-old is yet to win silverware with the senior Tottenham team and England.
The English skipper’s highly discussed move to Manchester City did not materialise the previous summer, even though the striker was keen on the move. Despite Spurs doing well to keep Kane for this season, there seems to be no guarantee that the forward will stay with us beyond the current campaign.
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In the event that we lose our talisman at the end of the season, then Conte has identified Lukaku as the man to bring in as a replacement. The pair formed a deadly duo while at Inter Milan, and Spurs fans have reason to be optimistic of them repeating their antics in North London if the situation arises.
Spurs fans would almost certainly want to keep hold of Kane over Lukaku. He is one of their own, of a similar age profile to Lukaku, and has clearly enjoyed more individual success in the Premier League as compared to the Chelsea forward. It now remains to be seen if this reunion can happen in the coming windows.
