Chelsea are ready to absorb the £60.5m blow to offload Romelu Lukaku
According to BBC Sport reports, Romelu Lukaku, who spent last season on loan at Roma from Chelsea, has little future at Stamford Bridge given that their asking price for a permanent agreement is £37m.
Chelsea are attempting to recuperate some of the £97.5m they paid Inter Milan for him in 2021, with an asking price of around £37m as the club seeks to offload the 31-year-old’s £325,000-per-week earnings.
The Belgium international has spent the last two seasons away from the club, first with Inter and then with Roma, but the club is desperate to return at least some of the astronomical £98m that they paid for the striker in 2021.
Roma are interested in re-signing Lukaku, who spent last season on loan at the Serie A club where he enjoyed a relatively successful campaign, contributing 20 goals and four assists in 46 appearances across all competitions, but are unable to reach his asking price.
During his time with the Blues, the 31-year-old appeared in only 26 Premier League games and scored eight goals. He is under contract with the west London giants until 2026
Napoli, AC Milan, and Turkish heavyweights Fenerbahce, who is currently managed by former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, have all indicated an interest in the Belgian striker.
Lukaku was on the verge of joining Al-Hilal after Chelsea accepted their bid last summer, but the transfer fell through at the last minute.
However, he is not the only Belgian player who has admitted that Saudi Arabia might be in his future. Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne recently stated that he has been seriously considering a move to the Middle East, with only one year remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium.
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The 31-year-old revealed that he is open to a transfer to Saudi Arabia and the lucrative opportunities that the league provides.
As the Belgian international’s future remains highly uncertain, with fans and officials unhappy with him, it seems clear that his time at Stamford Bridge is coming to an end, capping a turbulent second tenure with the London club.