Chelsea told £97.5m Romelu Lukaku 'mistake' could harm summer transfer plans

Chelsea's decision to re-sign Romelu Lukaku for nearly £100million now looks like a "mistake", according to Glen Johnson - and one that could make the summer transfer window tough for Thomas Tuchel.

Lukaku joined Chelsea for £97.5million last August, a decade after he had left Stamford Bridge for more first-team action at Everton.

The Belgium international then signed for Manchester United in 2017 before leaving the Premier League for Inter Milan in 2019, winning Serie A with Antonio Conte as coach in 2021.

Lukaku scored 64 goals in 95 games for the Nerazzurri, but pushed Inter to allow him to rejoin Chelsea last summer for a club-record fee of £97.5m.

The move initially seemed a match made in heaven, with Lukaku returning as the final piece of the jigsaw for a Chelsea side lacking a world-class leading man - but a deal proudly touted as a great homecoming is already in danger of turning sour.

The 28-year-old has scored eight goals in 24 appearances for Chelsea this season, but has been hampered by injury problems and a lack of form while struggling to get to grips with Tuchel's system.

Lukaku laid bare his frustrations in an extraordinary interview with Sky Italia in December, stating he was "not happy" with the situation in west London - and was soon forced to backtrack with an apology to Blues fans after being dropped.

Tuchel has made no secret of his recent frustrations with Lukaku, calling for the striker to offer more link-up play and movement when leading the line.

Lukaku was signed with the intention for Chelsea to build on their Champions League triumph last season and push for the Premier League title this term, but the Blues languish 10 points behind leaders Manchester City having played a game