Chelsea are through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup having knocked out rivals Manchester United earlier this week.

Their supporters here in the Tavern are absolutely delighted with the win and feel a league and cup double might not be too far away under manager Antonio Conte.

The Italian has done a superb job of masterminding the Blues side this season, and our contingent of Blues fans here in the pub are happy with how development is going under the former Juventus manager.

But with a couple of the Blues squad not quite living up to expectations, with Michy Batshuayi being one of them, there’s been one piece of news that has sent shockwaves through the pub this week.

It’s the fact Romelu Lukaku won’t be signing a new deal at Everton which almost instantly, means he might become available to one of the top sides.

So with that in mind, here’s TWO reasons why Conte needs to make this happen…

Diego Costa needs some real competition

Diego Costa has been one of Chelsea’s biggest players for the past couple of seasons, but there are Chelsea fans here in the Tavern who believe they’d get even more out of their star man if he had some real competition.

The former Atletico Madrid striker is a bulldog of a forward but in reality, he really hasn’t faced the harshest of competition at all from his colleagues this season.

Bringing in Lukaku would force him to step up his game or he’d be dropped in a heartbeat.

Lukaku more than has the quality to keep him out of the side.

To have success in Europe, Conte needs even more

We’ve seen some of the most jaw-dropping Champions League football in years this season and if Chelsea want to be a part of that in years to come, they need to bring in some real quality that can keep them in the competition.

Whilst Lukaku’s European pedigree is relatively small, there’s a real possibility he’d relish a return to the Bridge to bang in the goals for Conte’s new-look Blues.

Fans here in the Tavern don’t think there’s a better man to do it in the slightest.