Thomas Tuchel confirms Romelu Lukaku is quarantining and will miss Crystal Palace match

Romelu Lukaku is currently in quarantine following his move from Inter Milan and will therefore not be involved in Chelsea's opening match of the 2021-22 Premier League campaign.

The Blues announced a club-record £97.5m deal for the Belgium international on Thursday, meaning that, in theory, he could be registered in time to make his second debut for the club against Crystal Palace.

However, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel confirmed that the striker is quarantining before paying tribute to the club's new arrival, who could make his debut against Arsenal on August 22.

"Very happy to have Romelu back in the club. In terms of personality, speed, character, he will be an excellent addition for us," football.london quotes Tuchel as telling reporters.

"He has the power, the physique, the personality, to help us and have a huge impact. At the same time he is a humble guy, a team player who cares about Chelsea. We all have the feeling that it's worth it.

"It was very important to us that it was his desire to rejoin Chelsea and finish his story at Chelsea the way he wanted to. We have a strong group, defined with a strong bond and with a certain attitude to help each other out. We think that Romelu, coming through here and having always Chelsea in his heart is the perfect addition to our group."

Lukaku failed to score in his previous 15 appearances for Chelsea between 2011 and 2014.