Teamwork makes the dream work

Chelsea ‘in talks’ to completely finish Romelu Lukaku nightmare spell

26


Chelsea and Napoli are holding talks over the everlasting switch of Romelu Lukaku, in accordance with experiences.

The 31-year-old rejoined Chelsea in the summertime of 2021 for a then club-record £97.5m payment, however shortly fell out of favour after a tough first 12 months again at Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku penned a five-year contract when he returned to Chelsea, having performed a starring function in Inter’s 2020/21 Serie A title win, and his excessive wages have prevented him from leaving on a everlasting foundation regardless of it being clear that he has no future in west London.

Inter took Lukaku on mortgage in the course of the 2022/23 season and Roma did the identical final season – spells that yielded 23 targets in 57 Serie A appearances – however Chelsea aren’t ready to entertain one other momentary exit.

Sky Sports activities report {that a} long-rumoured transfer to Napoli, which might reunite Lukaku along with his former supervisor Antonio Conte, is now firmly on the playing cards, with the 2 sides discussing the construction of a everlasting switch.

The Belgian has already agreed private phrases with Napoli and is eager to work with Conte as soon as extra, having performed arguably the perfect soccer of his profession underneath the Italian’s administration.

Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku warming up for Chelsea in August 2021 / Michael Regan/GettyImages

A deal may lastly facilitate an exit from Napoli from Victor Osimhen – a long-term goal of Chelsea’s but in addition a main focus for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.

Lukaku might want to take a major wage lower for Napoli to have the ability to afford the deal, nevertheless it’s claimed he is keen to do no matter it takes to lastly carry his spell at Chelsea to an finish.

Whereas Lukaku’s Chelsea stint did not work out as deliberate, he has loved earlier success as a Premier League striker. Profitable mortgage spells at West Bromwich Albion and Everton earned Lukaku a everlasting transfer to the latter and he would change into a prolific goalscorer for the Toffees, scoring 25 league targets in his last season on Merseyside.

Manchester United coughed up £75m for Lukaku in the summertime of 2017, the place he continued to attain targets regardless of failing to hit the identical heights as he achieved at Everton. Two goal-laden years at Inter adopted after one other big-money switch, prompting Chelsea to half with near £100m to re-sign a participant they first recruited from Anderlecht in 2011.

Lukaku did not gel with then head coach Thomas Tuchel and hasn’t been reintegrated into Chelsea’s squad by any of his successors.

READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP