Chelsea’s out-of-favour striker Romelu Lukaku closes in on Roma loan move

Romelu Lukaku, a striker for Chelsea, is about to sign a season-long loan with Roma of Serie A.

Roma will pay the salary of the 30-year-old international from Belgium as part of the £8 million loan fee included in the agreement.

Lukaku was out on loan to Inter Milan last season and is not in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans at Chelsea. Inter Milan had hoped he would return.

The attacker, though, was dissatisfied that coach Simone Inzaghi chose not to start him in the Champions League final.

Juventus was also interested in signing Lukaku but was unable to make the necessary roster adjustments.

The arrangement for his return to Italy is virtually finalised, though a few specifics still need to be worked out

Lukaku’s move to Roma will bring him back together with Jose Mourinho, who convinced him to choose Manchester United over Chelsea when he transferred to the Old Trafford club in 2017.

For his second stint at Stamford Bridge, Lukaku returned to Chelsea from Inter Milan in August 2021 for £97.5 million on a five-year agreement. However, he has struggled to make an impression and has been working apart from the first squad this season.

In two stints with the Blues, he scored 15 goals in 59 games, and his 121 goals place him 20th all-time in Premier League scoring.

Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton said of the player, “He’s a real handful when he’s conditioned and fit.

“He has had a fantastic career, but at 30, he needs to demonstrate himself once again He seemed to be frozen out, and despite Chelsea’s striker shortage, they weren’t bringing him back into the fold, which was strange. The Chelsea situation is perplexing in some ways.