Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku, who is currently on loan with Inter Milan, could be handed a 'third chance' to make an impact at Stamford Bridge following Graham Potter's appointment as the west Londoners' new head coach, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Potter left Brighton & Hove Albion to be unveiled as the Blues' head coach less than 24 hours after Thomas Tuchel was sacked last week.

GiveMeSport The Verdict

What's the latest news involving Lukaku?

Chelsea smashed their record transfer fee when they forked out £97.5million to sign Lukaku from Inter last year, but his second spell on the club's books did not go to plan.

The frontman only scored eight goals in 26 Premier League appearances and also got on the wrong side of then-boss Tuchel.

That is because Lukaku admitted in an Italian interview, via Sky Sports, that he was ‘not happy’ with his lack of game-time shortly before the turn of the year.

The 29-year-old sealed his return to Inter less than 12 months after leaving the San Siro as Chelsea sanctioned his season-long loan departure in June.

Although Lukaku found the back of the net on the opening day of the Serie A season, against Lecce, he has not featured since last month due to picking up an injury.

What has Dean Jones said about Lukaku?

Jones has refused to rule out the possibility of Potter offering Lukaku the opportunity to reignite his Chelsea career when he returns from Inter next summer.

However, the transfer insider understands the 102-cap Belgium international is solely focused on recovering from his injury rather than looking too far into the future.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: "I think Lukaku is an intriguing storyline now. Can you imagine if he gets a third chance to crack it at Chelsea and he actually nails it? It's kind of one you want to see.

"But we'll have to see whether that can actually become a reality because, right now, he's just focusing on getting fit at Inter and he's just got to take one step at a time to get back to being the player that he was."

Should Potter give Lukaku another chance at Chelsea?

While Lukaku failed to meet Chelsea's expectations last season, he has scored 267 goals over the course of his senior club career, so it is clear that he is more than capable of being potent in the final third of the pitch.

Statistics show that the frontman has averaged more goals, assists and shots on target per 90 minutes than Kai Havertz, who has remained at Stamford Bridge, since the new campaign got underway last month.

But, with Lukaku being on a contract worth £350,000-per-week, Potter should only keep the Belgian in west London following his return if he is in the forefront of his plans.