West Ham Transfer News: Romelu Lukaku To Join On Loan

Young Belgian striker on Sam Allardyce's radar for a temporary move

By Simon Gallagher /

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea and Belgium striker Romelu Lukakau is being tracked by West Ham manager Sam Allardyce to lead his team's attack on their return to the Premier League this coming season. Allardyce will test Chelsea boss Robert Di Matteo's resolve to keep hold of the highly rated Stamford Bridge youngster this summer by offering to take the Belgian international Romelu on loan to Upton Park for the season. The teenage forward has found first team opportunities hard to come by since making a big money switch from Anderlecht and barely got on the pitch last term and is said to be keen for first team football, making a possible switch to the Hammers a viable option. West Ham boss Allardyce is looking to add more attacking additions to his squad and sees Lukaku as an ideal solution for a year to fire the necessary goals to keep the team in the Premier League, and will count on his ability to offer the Belgian first team experience as valuable to both the player and his current team. Lukaku is still considered one of the biggest potential stars in Europe, and his promise was enough to see him secure a £13m move to Chelsea last summer despite his young age. Things haven't quite gone his way since, with Chelsea preferring to play other strikers ahead of him, including misfiring Spaniard Fernando Torres, and as such Lukaku is still yet to score his first goal in Chelsea blue. If Di Matteo does indeed make Lukaku available for loan, he will likely court interest from around Europe, but Chelsea might see having him on their doorstep, as well as the opportunity for Premier League experience as the ideal solution to his current situation. West Ham will presumably pay a good portion of Lukaku's wages if the loan move goes through. What do you think West Ham fans? Would a move for Lukaku be a good one? Share your thoughts below.