Chelsea want £38 million if they are to sell out-of-favour striker Romelu Lukaku during the summer transfer window, journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed to GIVEMESPORT. The Belgian forward is set to leave the club this summer, with interest remaining from Saudi Arabia, where Lukaku had a chance to go last summer but decided to return to Italy and join Jose Mourinho at Roma.
Lukaku has enjoyed a successful spell at the Stadio Olimpico this season, scoring 21 goals in 47 games in all competitions. However, the 31-year-old has no place in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans as Chelsea look to offload his salary and free up funds after two years of heavy spending under Todd Boehly.
More Chelsea players are likely to follow Lukaku out the door, while the Belgian is weighing his options and could be poised for another return to Italy, possibly with a different team.
Chelsea Have ‘Verbal Agreement’ With Lukaku Over £38m Sale
Lukaku is likely to receive interest from multiple clubs this summer, including Napoli, as Jacobs explained to GIVEMESPORT:
He said:
“Chelsea want €45m (£38m) for Romelu Lukaku. Their position hasn’t changed since last summer. Al-Hilal had a bid for this amount accepted, but Lukaku wanted to stay in Italy.
“There is no formal release clause, but there is a verbal agreement between Chelsea and Lukaku that he will be sold if someone tables a bid for this amount.
“There remains interest from Saudi, but not from Al-Hilal anymore. The Napoli links could gather pace since their new sporting director Giovanni Manna was the driving force behind Lukaku’s proposed move to Juventus last summer.”
If Lukaku were to join Napoli, it would be his third team in Serie A. The Belgium international was on the verge of signing for Juventus last summer, but La Vecchia Signora decided to keep Dusan Vlahovic and the deal with Chelsea collapsed.
This season, Lukaku has proven once more that he has plenty to offer in Serie A, and his decision to reject a move to the Saudi Pro League last summer shows that he still wants to play at the highest level.
Quartet Likely to Leave Chelsea
Earlier this month, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Chelsea are likely to cash in on four stars this summer, including Lukaku, Ian Maatsen, Armando Broja, and Hakim Ziyech. All four players have spent the last season out on loan, and despite some solid performances, their futures at Stamford Bridge remain doubtful.
Maatsen could be likely to strike a permanent deal with Borussia Dortmund after his impact at the club was hailed by manager Edin Terzic. The Dutch left-back joined Dortmund on loan in January after struggling to find playing time in Mauricio Pochettino’s team.
Ziyech is also likely to return to his current club, Galatasaray. The Moroccan midfielder has had a solid spell in the star-studded team, with 12 goal contributions in 22 games.
Meanwhile, Broja also made a temporary move to Fulham mid-season but the loan switch didn’t work out with the Albania international making just eight Premier League appearances for the Cottagers for a total of just 81 minutes.
