Romelu Lukaku is headed for the arms of Jose Mourinho.
Fabrizio Romano, who is familiar with the European soccer transfer market, announced on social media on Monday (June 29), “Lukaku is going to AS Roma. A loan deal valid until June 2024 has been signed. Lukaku will leave for Roma on Tuesday. His salary is guaranteed for 10 months, worth €7.5 million. The rent will be more than €5 million,” the club wrote in a statement.
“Lukaku is scheduled to arrive in Rome at 5 p.m. Italian local time on Tuesday. Roma president Dan Friedkin will drive the private plane. Mr. Friedkin’s work was crucial to the negotiations with Chelsea president Todd Boeli.”
The BBC reported that “Lukaku is set to join Roma on loan. The player, who was not in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans, had hoped to return to Inter Milan but was unhappy at being left out of the starting XI for the UEFA Champions League final,” the BBC explained.
“While details remain to be ironed out, the agreement with Roma is basically complete. A source close to Mourinho said he has shown commitment and a desire to ‘achieve the glory the club and its fans deserve. Lukaku will be reunited with Mourinho.”
“Lukaku has agreed to take a pay cut to join Roma, according to the UK’s Telegraph. After nearly four days of intense negotiations, a deal has been finalized between Chelsea, Roma and Lukaku. The loan is believed to be his last chance to play in Europe. “It’s a big relief for Chelsea, even though it’s only a temporary loan, and we will try to sign a new striker,” he said, hinting at a ‘dun deal’.
Lukaku returned to England in 2021 when he joined Chelsea from Inter Milan. The big-money move, which saw him break club records, was a failure. After a sparkling start to the 2021-22 season, Lukaku noticeably lost his edge with each game.
Worse, the noise continued off the pitch. Lukaku sparked controversy by publicly criticizing then-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. “I fell in love with Italy, I will always have Inter Milan in my heart and I sincerely hope to return and play there one day,” Lukaku told Sky Sports.
Eventually, Lukaku was forced to leave Stamford Bridge. He returned to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on loan to his hometown club Inter Milan, as he had hoped. In the second half of the season, his goalscoring form picked up a bit, but it wasn’t quite up to par.
Lukaku had to return to Chelsea at the end of the season. Inter Milan approached him again. However, Chelsea wanted to recoup at least €45 million. The plan was to get around 40% of what they had invested two years earlier. This was a lot of money for a financially strapped Inter Milan, and negotiations stalled.
Then came the shocker. Lukaku had met with Juventus officials. Disappointed, Inter pulled out of the negotiations altogether. “Given what Inter did for him, I expected him to behave like a professional. No one can be greater than the club,” Inter CEO Javier Sanetti said.
A trade deal linked to Dusan Blahovic was rumored. Juventus fans were not happy with Lukaku. “Juventus fans stormed the pitch to protest the signing of Lukaku,” said Talk Sport. Lukaku was heavily linked with joining Juventus this summer after rejecting a move to Inter Milan. A deal involving Lukaku and Blahovic in cash has been discussed. However, Juventus fans stormed the Allianz Stadium to protest the signing of Lukaku. Chants of ‘we don’t want Lukaku’ (noi Lukaku non lo vogliamo) rang out during a preseason friendly against AC Milan.”
A briefly linked move to Saudi Arabia also fell through. “Al-Hilal have walked away from Lukaku after signing Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic,” said the UK’s Mirror. A move to Saudi Arabia is looking increasingly unlikely, with the transfer window closing in less than 10 days.”
Tottenham Hotspur was also mentioned. This summer, Tottenham completed the signing of world-class striker Harry Kane. With the possibility of a move for Lukaku on the cards in the form of Heurelisong, who has yet to live up to the hype since the start of the season. It was reported that chairman Daniel Levy was considering a loan move, but this too was a rumor.
Then came the rumors of a counter-offer from Roma. “Lukaku is becoming increasingly frustrated with his uncertain future,” said Italy’s Roma Press. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Lukaku wants to return to Italy and that his agent, Sebastien Ledoure, has approached Roma. Roma are ready to ask Chelsea about the possibility of signing Lukaku on loan.” And the possibility that Lukaku could be heading to the Stadio Olimpico has been growing in weight.
“Roma are in talks to sign Lukaku,” the BBC reported. Talks are at an early stage but Roma could resolve the situation between Chelsea and Lukaku. For now, Lukaku is out of Chelsea’s plans and training separately. Roma coach Jose Mourinho has coached Lukaku at Chelsea and Manchester United. Chelsea are hoping for a permanent move or a loan with a significant fee and an option to buy before the transfer window closes.”
In the end, Lukaku reunited with Mourinho. This is the third time he’s been with Mourinho, after Man United and Chelsea. Lukaku is on the verge of a major career move to Roma.
Last season, Roma lifted the trophy under Mourinho, winning the Europa Conference (UELCL). Since the end of the season, the Giallorossi have bolstered their squad with the signings of Leandro Paredes, Husem Ouarzon, Rasmus Christensen, Henatou Sanchez, and Sardar Azmoun. They ended the transfer window with Lukaku, who once dominated the Italian scene. It will be interesting to see if Lukaku can revive his career under Mourinho. An official announcement is expected after a successful medical. 안전놀이터