BFW Commentary: Acquiring Romelu Lukaku would be a big mistake for Bayern Munich

One of the weirdest rumors to break over the past week was that Bayern Munich has Chelsea FC’s Romelu Lukaku among its top options to replace Robert Lewandowski, should the high-scoring Pole move on this summer.

For all of his talent, however, Lukaku could be a disastrous move for Bayern Munich and here are some reasons as to why:

Practical: Too much dead weight in his contract

In its Champions League-winning stupor last summer, Chelsea inexplicably gave Lukaku a deal through 2026 and is paying him a TON of money (rumored to be €14 million to €15 million net). Would you want to pay a player that inconsistent for that long, that much money?

Absolutely not.

Factual: He made Chelsea...worse

In 2020/21, Chelsea won the Champions League despite nearly everyone thinking they had little chance to make the final and just about no one predicting they would defeat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

At the top of heap, Chelsea then went out and got Lukaku to take over the center-forward position from those pesky Germans Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. The problem is that Lukaku has underperformed and sometimes been a distraction under Thomas Tuchel. With just 12 goals and two assists in 40 games across competitions this season, Lukaku’s production and consistency are not nearly at the level that would help put a dent in everything Lewandowski does.

Opinion: Lukaku is not a “red light” player

Lukaku had his best stretches while operating on teams that were not necessarily expected to win much. Inter Milan in 2019/20 and 2020/21. While these were quality squads for Inter Milan, the expectations in Serie A were for the Nerazzurri to compete and be among the better teams, but not necessarily win the league. From there you have look at Everton in 2016/17 and his loan stint at West Brom in 2012/13 as his best stretches. When under the microscope of huge, high-pressure clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United, Lukaku has been far from his best.

In the event that Lewandowski does leave, Bayern Munich will have option...some good and some bad. No doubt, though, getting this move right is a must — or the decision makers will be freshening up their own resumes soon enough.