Thomas Tuchel has refused to offer assurances to Romelu Lukaku ahead of the FA Cup Final – and insists he will not let the latest speculation about the striker overshadow the Wembley showdown with Liverpool.
Lukaku’s agent, Federico Pastorello, has revealed he will seek talks with new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly at the end of the season.
After a miserable campaign for the £97.5million club record signing, which has seen him pushed to the fringes by Tuchel, the agent said his client’s “situation must be carefully evaluated.”
Chelsea’s manager responded: “I think if he plans to talk with the owner it is not his plan to talk with me. It’s fair enough. Let’s see if he gets a meeting.
“It is his right. We will talk to anybody. We will evaluate any situation of any player including Romelu. We will see what is going to happen and what the plans are.”
Tuchel added: “That’s what it is sometimes in football. The attention is so high that sometimes it attracts situations that you don’t want to have before big matches.
“It’s the way it is. For me it is not a distraction and hopefully for everybody that works on the team and the team itself it is not.”
Lukaku has been unhappy with his lack of playing time, while his relationship with Tuchel was tested when he questioned the German’s tactics during an infamous interview with Italian TV.
But he has scored three goals in his last two games to put himself clear as Chelsea’s leading scorer this season, with 15 in total, and also given Tuchel a selection headache against Liverpool.
Kai Havertz has been preferred in the biggest games.
Tuchel said: “We can also play both although they lacked a bit of feeling of a perfect fit together. It’s very likely that it is one of the two, but we will not give the line-up today.
“Romelu played lately and scored lately. He did everything to stay on the pitch. It will be our final call in the morning.”
