Mauricio Pochettino is seeking clear the air talks with Romelu Lukaku (Picture: Getty)
Didier Drogba has urged Romelu Lukaku to call him after the Chelsea flop was handed a lifeline by Mauricio Pochettino.
The new Stamford Bridge boss was officially unveiled on Friday and gave an impressive performance in front of the media as he detailed the plans he will put in place to accelerate his rebuilding job.
It has been another summer of upheaval at the west London club who have made rapid progress in trimming the bloated squad that hindered Pochettino’s predecessors Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
Chelsea are simultaneously ramping up their recruitment drive but they are yet to make a decision on who will spearhead their attack come the start of the new season.
Lukaku underwhelmed following his club-record transfer two years ago and spent last season attempting to rebuild his reputation while on loan at Inter.
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The 30-year-old is understood to have made clear his desire to return to the Serie A club on a permanent basis and has not intention of moving to Saudi Arabia where several Pro League clubs have registered an interest.
Pochettino, however, hinted Lukaku still has a chance to prove his worth and offered an olive branch yesterday by insisting he expects to see the Belgium international back at Chelsea’s Cobham training base next week.
‘I think the personal situations all the parties know what we think. In that case he needs to come back on the 12th or 13th [July] to be part of the squad and start pre-season.
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‘When the player arrives the first thing they are doing is to come to my office to see me and say hello. That is what I expect if he is still a Chelsea player.’
Lukaku is currently on holiday and posted an update on Instagram yesterday under which Drogba wrote ‘Hey boy, Romelu Lukaku please call me!’
The Chelsea strikers past and present have always shared a close relationship and Lukaku idolised Drogba during his first spell at Stamford Bridge and has attempted to model his game on one of the greatest players in the club’s history.
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Mauricio Pochettino is seeking talks with the Chelsea striker who spent last season on loan at Inter.