28 August 2023 , 11:24
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Jose Mourinho has already explained how Chelsea mismanaged Romelu Lukaku ahead of the Belgian striker reuniting with him for a third time – at Italian side Roma.
The Blues are prioritising the striker’s exit this week after it was revealed he was ‘not talking’ to the club’s new boss Mauricio Pochettino and was training separately from his teammates. The move to the Italian capital is likely to be a loan deal, of which the London club are hopeful of netting a £7million fee.
Chelsea ’s 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 £35million fee plus Lukaku to allow Dusan Vlahovic to move to Stamford Bridge, in an ambitious proposal which never took off.
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The Belgian’s preference was always to return to Italian football and knocked back an approach from Saudi Arabia earlier this summer. He is now set to complete his move to Roma, with Belgian newspaper HLN quoting Lukaku as confirming the move was imminent.
Have Your Say! Would Roma be a good move for Lukaku? Tell us what you think here.
Lukaku is on the lookout for a new club after returning to Chelsea from Inter (AFP via Getty Images)That ensures he will be reunited with 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. Last summer, Mourinho explained how to get the best out of the player.
“[In his first spell] at Chelsea, he was still a kid. At Manchester United, he was still developing. At Inter he became the top man,” Mourinho told The Times in June last year.
“He became loved - a big love from the supporters, love from teammates, great relations with the coach. He's a big guy, physically so strong, but there is also a kid inside who needs that love, needs that support, needs to feel important.”
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.