CONT ME IN Chelsea finally agree deal to SELL Romelu Lukaku with striker to set to join Napoli in permanent transfer
Deal could mean yet another incoming at Chelsea
Posted Saturday, August 24, 2024 by Thesun.co.uk
CHELSEA have verbally agreed for outcast Romelu Lukaku to join Napoli in a £38milion package.
The Belgium striker is set to sign a three-year deal until 2027, which sees him reunited with former Blues boss Antonie Conte.
Chelsea have agreed to sell Romelu Lukaku to Napoli Credit: Getty
Chelsea have accepted a £25m fixed fee, plus add-ons worth up to £13m for a £38m potential bundle, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
Conte has been keen on taking Lukaku to Napoli all summer.
The Serie A side initially hoped to sign the towering striker on loan with a view to a permanent deal.
But Blues chiefs had insisted they were not interested in loaning him out, and were demanding a £38m fee.
And it seems a deal has finally been struck, with Chelsea desperately trying to offload a host of players before the end of the window next week.
The 31-year-old has spent the last two seasons on loan in Italy, firstly with Inter Milan and then Roma.
However, Chelsea wanted a sale this summer and are set to get their own way, with the deal likely to include a sell-on clause.
Lukaku joining Napoli will mean striker Victor Osimhen could edge closer to leaving the Italian club.
Chelsea have kept tabs on the Nigerian all summer, though face competition from Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi Arabia.
Osimhen's wages, close to £300,000, could prove an issue.
Chelsea's American owners have worked hard to reduce the overall wage bill at Stamford Bridge - and Osimhen's salary would not fit the new structure.
The Blues want to shift Ben Chilwell who earns a whopping £200,000 per-week, and joint top earner Raheem Sterling who bags £325,000 per-week.
Lukaku also pocketed the same wages as Sterling after his £97.5million return to West London from Inter in 2021.
Roma covered the weekly bill after he agreed to a salary cut for the remaining three years of his Premier League contract.
He has not played for Chelsea since May 2022 after publicly stating to Sky Italia his unhappiness under former manager Thomas Tuchel.
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