Lukaku transfer fee agreed by Chelsea after Mourinho warning to former club
Chelsea have agreed with Romelu Lukaku that they will sell him permanently if any club matches their £37million transfer valuation of the striker.
The Blues prioritised the striker’s exit in summer after it was revealed he was ‘not talking’ to the club’s new boss Mauricio Pochettino and was training separately from his teammates. He eventually joined Roma on a season-long loan arrangement, with no option to make the move permanent.
The 30-year-old has impressed in the early stages of the campaign with the Giallorossi, for whom he has bagged seven goals in eight appearances. That reunited him with Jose Mourinho, who briefly coached him at Chelsea before then signing him for Manchester United in the summer of 2017 and making him the central striker at the club across the following 18 months.
Chelsea ’s re-signing of the striker from Inter two summers ago in a then-club record £97.5million move did not work out and Lukaku was shipped back out to the Serie A outfit on loan before the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Inter saw two bids for a permanent deal knocked back earlier this summer – the second with a valuation of £26million – before withdrawing their interest when the bids were rejected and it became clear that Lukaku was considering a move to their fierce rivals Juventus. However, a move to Turin did not work out either – Juve were demanding a £35m fee plus Lukaku to allow Dusan Vlahovic to move to Stamford Bridge, in an ambitious proposal which never took off.
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Mourinho recently criticised Chelsea alongside Lukaku’s other former clubs by claiming that the Belgian international is “loved and wanted” in the Italian capital. Speaking to DAZN, Mourinho said: “I found him happy, Romelu needs to be happy, to feel loved and wanted. He arrived here and immediately felt that the team needed a player like him. I think he's really happy, he obviously likes to win and that's his nature.”
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Lukaku has been in impressive form for Roma this season (Getty Images)A report from Fabrizio Romano has detailed how Chelsea are already prioritising offloading the striker on a permanent basis. Lukaku is due to return to Stamford Bridge next summer when his loan deal expires and the club have already told him they will sell should their valuation of £37m be matched.
Lukaku has been full of praise for Roma boss Mourinho, who he believes has been key to his excellent form: "As I have said in the past, the coach and I have a special relationship,” Lukaku added. “He knows my family, he knows my children: he is someone I trust, as he has in me. He is also tough, as other coaches have been in the past, but it's the only way I can grow as a player."
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