BREAKING NEWS ✅✅: CHELSEA
Chelsea have reached a £34 million agreement for the Napoli star, who has shown interest following Lukaku’s departure.
Chelsea are open to selling Romelu Lukaku at a reduced price this summer as he seeks a return to Italy, talkSPORT understands.
The Belgian striker, who has spent the past two seasons on loan at Inter Milan and Roma, is prepared to take a significant pay cut to join his former manager Antonio Conte at Napoli.
Last season, Lukaku scored 21 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions while on loan at Roma.
This move likely means Lukaku will secure a permanent exit from Chelsea this summer, three years after his expensive return to Stamford Bridge, which turned out poorly for both the club and the player.
Chelsea paid £97.5 million to re-sign Lukaku from Inter Milan in the summer of 2021 after he helped lead the Serie A club to its first league title in a decade under Conte.
Three years later, Chelsea are ready to accept a substantial loss on the 31-year-old, willing to accept a cut-price offer of around £29 million.
Napoli are currently negotiating with Chelsea over the deal, with Lukaku eager to stay in Italy and reunite with Conte.
Lukaku is expected to replace Victor Osimhen, who is likely to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer as a replacement for Kylian Mbappe following his free transfer to Real Madrid.
Osimhen has been Napoli’s leading striker for the past four seasons, scoring 31 goals to help Napoli win the Serie A title in 2022/23.
While some fans may not be enthusiastic about Lukaku replacing Osimhen, there seems to be enough trust in Conte to support the deal.
Italian football expert Daniele Fisichella told talkSPORT that Napoli supporters are open to signing Lukaku, believing Conte can help the club recover from a difficult last season, which saw them finish tenth, just a year after winning the championship.
Conte previously brought out the best in Lukaku during their time at Inter Milan, and they are set to be reunited at Napoli.
Lukaku and Conte could help make Napoli a strong contender in Serie A once again.
“I think Napoli fans trust Antonio Conte and believe he can take them at least up to fourth place,” Fisichella said. “And since Conte likes Lukaku so much and has already worked with him for two seasons at Inter, I think the Napoli fans will support the decision.
“Of course, Lukaku is six years older than Osimhen, and he’s not an up-and-coming star anymore. He’s nearing the end of his career, but if you compare Lukaku’s numbers in Serie A to Osimhen’s, they are quite similar. Lukaku has scored 70 Serie A goals in four years, just a few less than Osimhen. Last season, Lukaku scored 21 times for Roma, slightly fewer in the league than Osimhen.
“But Lukaku seems to fit well with Conte’s preferred 3-5-2 system. He’s good at holding up play and can be effective on the counterattack. Ultimately, Conte is about finding quick solutions that work immediately. We saw this in how he managed Lukaku at Inter. That approach can work again. So, it seems like the most likely destination. Conte has convinced Lukaku to reject other offers.
“AC Milan and the Saudi League tried to contact him earlier. Additionally, some new Napoli players who know Lukaku well have spoken to him.
“So, we’re just waiting for Osimhen to move to Paris and for Lukaku to join his third Italian club since 2019.”
Meanwhile, Osimhen’s transfer to PSG has been delayed as the French club tries to negotiate a lower fee, despite Napoli insisting on the striker’s steep release clause.
Osimhen had been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Arsenal and Chelsea among the interested clubs, but he now appears set to join PSG.
“The gap between Napoli’s asking price and PSG’s offer is not huge. Napoli are asking for €130 million [£110 million], which matches Osimhen’s release clause according to the contract he signed a year ago. PSG are offering €100m [£84m] plus add-ons. This is almost an open secret in Italy. We all knew Osimhen was going to leave.
“Osimhen has decided to leave. So if PSG meets Napoli’s asking price, he will join them unless Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia returns with a mega offer.
“But clearly, the player’s decision is crucial, and he wants to stay in Europe.”