Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has revealed that Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are likely to feature in next season s first-team squad.
Lukaku joined the London club from Anderlecht in 2011 for a reported fee of 10 million pounds, but, after failing to gain regular action, spent the 2012-13 campaign on loan at West Brom.
De Bruyne has also been loaned out from Stamford Bridge since joining in January 2012, spending time with Genk and Werder Bremen over the past one-and-a-half seasons.
However, Mourinho has now hinted that the Belgian duo have earned a place in his reckoning as he prepares for a second stint in charge at Chelsea.
First of all, I want to meet them, he said. I think it s fair that the players are the first ones to know about their future and to know about their future by their manager and their club – not by the media.
So I m not just speaking in relation to Kevin or Romelu. I’m speaking generally. I ve had the chance to speak to some of them and some others I didn t.
I need to take my time and meet them and we need to make a decision which is best for me, the players and especially for Chelsea. The club is more important than me – than the players.
(De Bruyne and Lukaku) are the profile of players who Chelsea invested a lot in the past. It is my job to extract the best out of them. I think both of them are ready to come and be part of our squad.
Lukaku scored 17 goals in 35 appearances at the Hawthorns last term, helping Steve Clarke s side to a best-ever Premier League finish of eighth.
De Bruyne, meanwhile, netted on 10 occasions in 33 outings for Bremen, despite the German club narrowly avoiding relegation from the Bundesliga.
