Exclusive: Chelsea striker deal gets significant green light as painful £54m transfer loss becomes reality
Romelu Lukaku could seal permanent Chelsea exit
Roma are keen to make outcast Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku’s loan permanent at the end of the current campaign, TEAMtalk has learned.
Chelsea conducted a major overhaul in the summer that saw a total of 24 players exit the club permanently or on loan. One of those was striker Lukaku who joined AS Roma on a season-long loan deal.
The Belgian forward has been imperious form since joining legendary manager Jose Mourinho at the Stadio Olimpico, scoring six times in 10 league appearances.
The Blues were happy to see him leave and offload a large percentage of his salary from the books. They also are set to receive a fee close to £8million from Roma for the duration of his stay at the club.
The Serie A side are hopeful that his spell at the club will be longer than a single campaign and sources state they are keen to open a conversation with Chelsea about making his move permanent in the summer.
A fee of around £35million could be enough to make a move happen, taking the total recouped for his services by the London side to £43million.
The deal would see Chelsea lose around £54million on the striker who joined from Inter Milan in 2021, in what was a record deal for the club at the time. The Belgian international is paid £12million per year at the Premier League club and will go down as a huge failure in the transfer history of Chelsea.
He failed to live up to the huge price tag and was eventually loaned to Inter, who he would help each a Champions League final. The forward made it clear he wanted to stay in Italy last season and had no desire to return to England.
Chelsea to put Lukaku sale towards striker replacement
Chelsea were also not keen to have him back and, despite his superb form for his new side as well as for Belgium this year, have zero intention to include him in plans moving forward. That represents good news for Roma who believe they can sign him on a permanent basis.
Discussions could begin in January but there is no rush from either side as the loan deal runs until the end of the current season and there is no desire from his parent club to cut the loan short.
Saudi Arabian sides are still keeping tabs and may launch an attempt to once again tempt the 30-year-old with a huge offer. Lukaku has been keen to stay in Europe and turned down multiple offers last summer from the SPL.
Abraham joined Roma from the Blues in 2021 and despite an impressive first season in Italy, has struggled with form and injury. Now, he could be offered a lifeline to return to Stamford Bridge in exchange for Lukaku’s permanent switch.
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