As revealed by Roma’s official Twitter handle, AS Roma have secured the services of Romelu Lukaku on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
The Italian club will pay approximately £5 million for the striker and will cover his entire salary. Lukaku has agreed to a salary reduction to facilitate the transfer.
Furthermore, he has also accepted a reduced salary for when he returns to Chelsea at the end of the season. Notably, there is now a new release clause of £37 million included in his contract.
The Belgian striker has finally completed his departure from the Blues, having declined to be part of their plans for the upcoming season.
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Chelsea’s manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was interested in offering Lukaku a second chance at the club, but the player was determined to leave Stamford Bridge.
Tutte le strade portano a… 🟡🔴#ASRoma pic.twitter.com/dYVoAW3CBW
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) August 31, 2023
Many expected him to make a permanent move to Inter Milan following his loan spell last season. However, the 30-year-old wanted to join Juventus, and negotiations with Inter fell through.
Juventus lacked the financial means to secure the Belgian centre-forward and proposed a swap deal with Chelsea involving Dusan Vlahovic, which the Blues declined, leaving Lukaku disheartened.
Although the striker received an offer from the Saudi Pro League, he wasn’t enthusiastic about moving to the Middle East.
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Instead, he has returned to Italy, where he will reunite with Jose Mourinho, with whom he had previously worked at Chelsea and Manchester United.
Roma have been in urgent need of a striker following Tammy Abraham’s long-term injury.
Now, Mourinho has successfully acquired Sardar Azmoun and Lukaku in an effort to compete both domestically and in European competitions. Roma are hoping to recover from a disappointing start to the season when they face the in-form AC Milan this weekend.
It remains uncertain whether Lukaku will be prepared to play against AC Milan, but he has already commenced training with his new team.
