Chelsea and AS Roma agree deal in principle for Romelu Lukaku loan

AS Roma have agreed terms with Chelsea over a season-long loan deal for out-of-favor Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku.

A summer exit has always looked likely for Lukaku, who was linked with a return to Inter Milan earlier in the summer as well as a potential switch to Juventus.

However, the 30-year-old is now on the verge of completing his move to join Jose Mourinho’s Roma side. Lukaku previously played under Mourinho at Manchester United, after arriving at Old Trafford for £75million in the summer of 2017.

With a £5m loan deal reached in principle, Romelu Lukaku could undergo medical at AS Roma and sign his contract on Tuesday, August 29, though that may be pushed back due to issues with the UK’s air traffic control systems forcing delays to flights.

Lukaku might have to take a pay cut of more than 50% to secure the move to Roma, with the striker aware his £325,000-a-week wages will be problematic. There is also no obligation for the club to make the deal permanent.

Juventus held talks with Chelsea over the signing of Lukaku earlier this summer, while Inter were also keen on bringing the Belgium international back to Italy.

Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal were also interested in signing the 30-year-old, who signed for Chelsea from Inter for £97.5m in August 2021.

Lukaku has been training away from the Chelsea first-team, and Mauricio Pochettino last week confirmed a “solution” was being worked on.

He said;

“The club and the player, both try to find a solution.

“The future can change things. Life can change. I saw [Jurgen] Klopp say I’m not going to be in this business when we should pay £100million, and then they offered £100million and he said, ‘Oh, I made a mistake’.

“That is the same situation. In football, the dynamic is fast and changes and we need to move on. Today, nothing has changed. If something changes we will adapt to the situation.”