Lukaku loan 'agreed' according to Spanish paper

The Spanish press is probably lazier than the English press in creating transfer rumors, so it should come as no surprise that El Confidencial is now reporting that Chelsea have agreed to send Romelu Lukaku on loan to Atletico Madrid. El Confidencial aren't one of the more reliable papers in Europe, but blind squirrels, nuts, and all that.

As we've discussed before, another loan for the Belgian forward makes little sense unless the player signs a contract extension first, as with just two seasons remaining on his Chelsea contract, it's probably time to either cash in and let the player move on, or bring the forward back to Stamford Bridge. That said, one of the few instances where loaning the player without an extension makes sense would be this specific scenario, as Chelsea still have about half the Atletico team in their shopping cart, and a loan could help grease the wheels to complete one or more of these moves.

I think the majority would just prefer to see the big Belgian stay at Stamford Bridge this season, forming a 1-2 punch with Diego Costa that allows us to leave Fernando Torres on the compost heap. If not though, this scenario makes a bit of sense, and Atletico would be an excellent destination for Lukaku to continue his development.