Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will be desperate for Thomas Tuchel and Romelu Lukaku to find some common ground after their recent fallout at Stamford Bridge, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
Lukaku hit the headlines as 2021 came to a close after admitting in an interview with Sky Italia that he was unhappy with being a bit-part player under Blues head coach Tuchel and the striker also revealed his intentions to return to Inter Milan in the not-too-distant future.
What's the latest news involving Lukaku?
Lukaku only returned to Chelsea for a second spell in the summer, with the 101-cap Belgium international sealing a club-record switch worth £97.5million.
But the first half of the season has not gone to plan for the frontman, with injuries and coronavirus restricting his game-time.
Footage of the interview came to light a matter of days before Chelsea's Premier League stalemate with Liverpool at the weekend and Tuchel claimed it had been unhelpful and created unnecessary noise ahead of the club's first fixture of 2022.
The German responded by opting to leave the 28-year-old out of his matchday squad for the clash.
But Tuchel held talks with Lukaku yesterday and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed the discussions were positive.
He also suggested that the bombshell interview will not result in Lukaku being allowed to leave Stamford Bridge during the current transfer window after the club hierarchy backed Tuchel.
What has Dean Jones said about Lukaku?
Jones claims that the public outburst by Lukaku will have come as a huge blow to Chelsea owner Abramovich.
The Russian appointed Tuchel as the west Londoners' head coach last January and he has gone on to enjoy huge success, winning the Champions League and Super Cup titles just a matter of months after walking through the door.
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Jones reckons Abramovich will continue to support Tuchel despite Lukaku's criticisms but will hope the relationship between the key Chelsea duo can be repaired.
When asked about Abramovich's thoughts on the interview fallout, the transfer insider told GIVEMESPORT: "He's obviously got a manager to back as well, so he'll want them to try and find some even ground whereby they can sort this situation out."
When could Lukaku return to the Chelsea line-up?
Tuchel is expected to restore Lukaku to his side when Chelsea host London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tomorrow.
The frontman will be looking to build on scoring in back-to-back clashes prior to the interview's release.
Facing Spurs will be an interesting proposition for Lukaku as the north Londoners are now managed by Antonio Conte and the pair won the Serie A title together at Inter last season.
Italian media outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport have even suggested that a reunion with Conte could be on the cards as a result of Lukaku's frustrations under Tuchel.
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