25 August 2023 , 08:45
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Roma are offering Romelu Lukaku an escape route from Chelsea and are in talks over a season-long loan deal for the striker.
Lukaku was a popular figure with Roma’s Serie A rivals Inter before he was lured back to Stamford Bridge for a second spell in 2021 in a then club record £97.5million move. But the striker failed to match expectations and the 30-year-old was subsequently shipped back out to the Serie A outfit a year ago.
The striker is now problematic for the Blues and he is ‘not talking’ to the club’s new boss Mauricio Pochettino as he trains away from the first-team squad. Chelsea are unable to find a club willing to pay a suitable fee and cover his wages, which opens the door to a loan exit.
Chelsea have signed Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku this summer but an injury to the latter means that they are likely to move to sign another forward before the close of the summer transfer window. Lukaku will not play a part in their first-team plans and they are prioritising his exit.
Finding an exit for Lukaku has not been easy for the club. Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal made a concentrated effort to sign the Belgian international, but he rejected their lucrative wage proposal and wanted to remain in European football.
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Inter then attempted to sign the striker permanently but saw two bids knocked back, the second in the region of £26million, with the Nerazzurri instead signing Marcus Thuram and Marko Arnautovic.
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Lukaku is on the lookout for a new club after returning to Chelsea from Inter (AFP via Getty Images)That preceded attempts from Juventus to sign the striker, with Lukaku’s openness to that move burning his bridges with Inter – their fierce rivals. However, the Turin giants were demanding upwards of £40million plus Lukaku for Dusan Vlahovic, which Chelsea were not keen on.
Roma are now the club in best position to sign Lukaku. Jose Mourinho briefly managed the Belgian at Chelsea before signing him for Manchester United in 2017. The Giallorossi are on the lookout for a striker due to Tammy Abraham being sidelined through injury.
As detailed by the Telegraph, a move to Roma is now the likely outcome for the striker this summer. Mourinho has already detailed how Lukaku is best managed and the pair now appear set to be reunited at their third club together.
Lukaku was plagued by injuries last season and has found the net 14 times in 37 appearances for Inter but was not a regular as his side reached the Champions League final. His preference has always been a return to Italian football.