Stoke fail in loan move for Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku

Stoke have been thwarted in their bid to sign Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku on loan because of Premier League rules.

Belgian Lukaku, 18, arrived at Stamford Bridge from Anderlecht in early August and made his Chelsea debut on Saturday.

But Premier League rule M 7.1 says: "A temporary transfer to a club may not take place in the transfer window in which the transferor club acquired the player's registration."

Meanwhile, the Potters are on the verge of signing Tottenham's Wilson Palacios.

The 27-year-old midfielder is set to have a medical ahead of a proposed move for £6m

Stoke have also been linked with Spurs striker Peter Crouch in recent days.

WHO IS ROMELU LUKAKU?

  • Born in Antwerp on 13 May, 1993
  • Scored 121 goals in 68 games as a youth player for Lierse
  • Turned professional with Anderlecht on his 16th birthday and made his debut 11 days later
  • Has since scored 33 goals in 74 games
  • Has nine international caps for Belgium, scoring twice

Meanwhile, Danish media are reporting that Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner could be on his way to the Britannia Stadium.

Chelsea signed Lukaku for about £20m on 6 August. He became a household name in Belgium when he was the top scorer in the domestic league in the 2009-2010 season at the age of 16.

He scored 16 goals in 37 league games last season and scored his first international goals in a 2-0 win over Russia in November.