Jeremy Doku was once close to making a move to Chelsea but decided not to following advice from Roma striker Romelu Lukaku.
The 21-year-old Belgian winger left Stade Rennes for Manchester City last month in a deal worth around €60m, adding an exciting talent to Pep Guardiola’s squad. Last season, he scored six goals and provided two assists in 29 Ligue 1 appearances.
A report from the London Evening Standard details how Anderlecht academy manager Jean Kindermans revealed that Doku was close to joining Chelsea when he was 15 years old, but changed his mind after Lukaku spoke to him in a video call, advising the teenager not to head to West London.
Lukaku joined Chelsea when he was 18 from Anderlecht but failed to ignite his first team career with the club, impressing on loan with West Brom and Everton before making a permanent move to the Toffees in July 2014.
The 30-year-old Belgian striker left Chelsea for Roma on a dry loan deal this summer and is set to return to West London next year.