Romelu Lukaku stance on Aston Villa transfer as Unai Emery ready to pay Chelsea release clause
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is unlikely to be interested in moving to Aston Villa before the transfer deadline, according to Alan Hutton.
Reports have suggested that Unai Emery's side are ready to pay the Belgian international's £36.6million release clause this summer, despite interest from Italian giants Napoli [Il Mattino, 13 August].
The Belgian is not understood to be keen on making the move to Villa Park and is instead holding out for a move back to Italy instead so that he can join up with former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte in Naples.
Although Hutton does believe the Villans will be looking to make further attacking additions before the window closes at the end of August, he doesn't believe it is worth Emery taking a "risk" on Lukaku.
"I think it would be a risk," Hutton exclusively told Villa News.
"It's not quite worked out for him over the last few seasons and the problem with Lukaku for me is, is he coming as a starter or does he know it's Ollie Watkins who's going to be playing?
"I know he is versatile and he can play out wide, but he's not going to do that. I think he thrives through the middle now so it would be an interesting one.
"I'm sure Lukaku at his age now wants to play football and if he's not going to get that at Aston Villa, I'm not sure that he would want to be there and play second fiddle.
"For me right now, Watkins is number one and the way that Emery plays he likes to play one in behind him, like that Joao Felix type or whoever that may be.
"So we will just have to wait and see how it pans out."
Will Romelu Lukaku exit Chelsea amid Aston Villa transfer rumours?
As Hutton suggests, Emery and his recruitment team will almost certainly be in the market for a new striker in the coming weeks, but Lukaku doesn't seem to fit the profile of player that they're looking for.
Whether or not the Villans have been willing to pay his release clause is by the by. If the forward doesn't want to make the move to Villa Park, it won't happen even if Napoli don't manage to agree a transfer fee with Chelsea.
Hopefully, Emery will decide to take less of a risk and instead move to sign a player like Felix before the window slams shut.
The Portuguese international may still be a bit of a gamble, but he is more reliable than the Belgian.
In other Aston Villa news, the Villans' stance on hijacking a move for Conor Gallagher has been shared after his Chelsea exit stalled
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