Romelu Lukaku signed for Chelsea from Inter for £97.5m in August 2021, in a deal that should have kept him in the club for five years. However, the 30-year-old Belgian international has struggled throughout his short stay at the club. Lukaku, while a Chelsea player, was made to train with the under-21 side of the club because Chelsea had no intention of keeping the 30-year-old Belgian striker.
Stamford Bridge has finally decided on a mutually beneficial option for Romelu Lukaku and the club, allowing him to revive his goal-scoring career through a loan move to AS Roma, where he will be reunited with his former manager, Jose Mourinho.
Romelu Lukaku to join AS Roma as part of €7.5 million season-long loan deal
Romelu Lukaku’s transfer from Chelsea to Inter Milan was fueled by his aspirations to rekindle his past glory. However, his time at Inter Milan proved to be challenging as he managed to net just 14 goals and contribute six assists across 35 games.
However, this performance was relatively acceptable when contrasted with his previous stint at Chelsea, where he struggled through a demanding season, scoring 15 goals in 44 matches for the club. The 30-year-old Belgian International has experienced a significant dip in his Chelsea career, and he now looks forward to resuscitation with Jose Mourinho at AS Roma.
Speaking recently about Romelu Lukaku’s desire to leave Chelsea, Pochettino, the Chelsea manager, said, “If the player and clubs wish to find a solution, it’s not me, it’s them. In that case, the player and the club will meet and inform me that things changed. I’m not going to move until the club or the player wants to talk with me.
“I am here, I accept the situation that was here when I arrived. The club and the player both try to find a solution. The future can change things.”
Initially, Juventus reached out and talked with Chelsea about the possibility of signing Romelu Lukaku since he was keen on returning to Italy. The Saudi Arabian side, Al Hilal, also attempted to sign Romelu Lukaku. However, the striker was keen on a return to Italy and was happy to go to Rome because of his desire to work with manager Jose Mourinho again.
According to The Telegraph, AS Roma has reached an agreement to secure Romelu Lukaku on loan for the season, with an agreed payment of £5 million. The Belgian forward has also consented to a reduction in his wages, ensuring that Chelsea will not be responsible for any portion of the £6 million ($8 million) salary he is set to earn during his time in Rome.
Chelsea fans celebrate Romelu Lukaku’s departure to Roma
Even though he holds the title of Belgium’s highest-ever goal scorer and previously made a significant impact in the Premier League with Everton and West Brom, Lukaku appears to be unwanted at Chelsea.
Lukaku moved back to Chelsea from Inter Milan for £97.5m in August 2021. Per his contract, he was supposed to remain at Stamford Bridge for five years, but he has struggled to establish himself, scoring only 15 goals in 59 games in both spells at the club
Romelu Lukaku to AS Roma, here we go! Agreement reached on loan deal valid until June 2024 — player will travel to Roma on Tuesday 🚨🟡🔴 #ASRoma
Salary coverage around €7.5m for 10 months. Loan fee higher than €5m.
Green light arrived also on player side.
Done deal. pic.twitter.com/GgdXbckbT2
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 28, 2023
Since the start of this season, he has been training away from Chelsea’s first-team players; since the club did not include him in their 2023/24 season plans. Chris Sutton, former Chelsea striker, noted, “The Chelsea thing is baffling in some respects, that he seemed to be frozen out and Chelsea have a striker crisis, yet they weren’t bringing him back into the fold, which was slightly odd.”
But other Chelsea supporters are quite excited that Romelu Lukaku will not play for Chelsea this season following his loan move to AS Roma. Williams, a Chelse fan on X, tweets, “Goodbye and don’t ever come back again”. Another posted a video meme of a man dancing and captioned it, “He’s gone“, referring to Lukaku. Others call him a “finished player” in several berating tweets.
Goodbye and don't ever come back again 🙏
— Williams ©️ (@CFCNewsReport) August 28, 2023
Romelu Lukaku had a good success rate with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United. He now stands a chance to revive his career at AS Roma, seeing that he’s reunited with his favourite boss.
