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Romelu Lukaku 'will NOT play in Chelsea's first Premier League match of the new season against Crystal Palace on Saturday due to technical details' with Belgian 'unlikely' to complete £98m transfer before the clash

Romelu Lukaku will not be available for Chelsea's opening Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace due to technical details with his £98million transfer, say reports.

The Belgian striker is set to complete a move back to Stamford Bridge, seven years after leaving the club, from Inter Milan where he won the Serie A title as the Nerazzurri top goalscorer earlier this year.

Players need to be registered to the Premier League by Friday evening in order to be available for the Saturday fixture, under the rules stated by England's top-flight.