Will not talk about players who don’t play in my squad, asserts Thomas Tuchel

Following reports that Chelsea had submitted and failed with a €100 million bid for Romelu Lukaku with Inter Milan unwilling to sell, reports have indicated that the Blues are still keen on the move. The Belgian is considered to be one of the best strikers in the world and is reportedly number two on the club’s shortlist behind only Erling Haaland. But with Chelsea priced out of a move for the Norwegian which has seen Lukaku become their top target with a €120 million bid set to be made.

Not only that, the Guardian has reported that the Belgian has told Inter Milan that he would be open to signing for the Stamford Bridge side despite the Nerazzurri’s reluctance to sell him. However, in light of all the rumours and reports, Thomas Tuchel has refused to comment on the situation with the German playing things very close to the vest. The Chelsea boss also added that the club does have targets who “in our opinion could make our squad strong” but won’t talk about them.

“I will not talk about players who don't play in my squad. He's a fantastic player but he's an Inter player and I will not talk about him in this situation. You can imagine a lot of players want to come and join but we will not talk about that,” Tuchel said, reported Goal.

“The board isn't offering players, that's not how it works. We talk to the board about players, have our own opinions, and in the end we target players who in our opinion could make our squad strong, which is quite a challenge.

“There are some players of which we think they can be a good target and improvement in our squad. I will not comment on names as I don't like it when other coaches speak about my players. So hopefully you understand that,” he added.