Juventus in talks with Chelsea over Lukaku deal

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Juventus have intensified their attempts to land Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, according to fresh reports in the Italian media.

TuttoSport claims the Serie A champions are on the verge of an overhaul of their strikeforce, with Hellas Verona hitman Juan Iturbe and Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata both close to joining the ranks.

Lukaku represents the final piece in the jigsaw, with new Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri identifying the Belgium international as the man to offer a physical and aerial threat in the final third of the pitch.

The acquisition of the 21-year-old would leave Allegri with an embarrassment of riches up front, considering the likes of Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente are already on the books.

However, the biggest stumbling block is likely to be the kind of arrangement the Italians are proposing. TuttoSport believes Juve have asked to take Lukaku on loan for the 2014-15 campaign, while his club will almost certainly hold out for a full sale and transfer fee.

It is believed that the west London outfit value him somewhere in the region of £20million.

Lukaku scored 18 goals in 35 appearances during a loan spell at Everton last season, further improving his reputation in the European game.

He was part of the Belgium squad involved in this summer’s World Cup in Brazil although he lost his regular starting berth to Lille’s Divock Origi.