Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed Chelsea have no plans to keep Romelu Lukaku, despite his encouraging performances for AS Roma in the 2023-24 season.
Lukaku’s Transfer Has Been A Blunder For Chelsea
Chelsea signed Lukaku for a whopping €113 million ($121.86 million) fee from Serie A giants Inter Milan in August 2021. The Belgian got off to an impressive start at Stamford Bridge, scoring thrice in his first three Premier League appearances. However, the good feeling did not last long.
The Belgian lost his sharpness in front of goal and ended the 2021-22 campaign with only eight goals in 26 matches. To top it off, he openly expressed his desire to rejoin Inter Milan, and Chelsea agreed to loan him out to San Siro for the 2021-22 season.
Surprisingly, Lukaku showed no desire to join Inter permanently at the end of the campaign. Instead, he was linked with Inter’s rivals Juventus, which soured the 30-year-old’s relationship with the Nerazzurri. Ultimately, the move to Juve fell through, forcing the Pensioners to sanction another loan move, this time to AS Roma.
Romano Says Chelsea Have No Plans To Keep Lukaku In 2024-25
Under Jose Mourinho, Lukaku has performed superbly at Roma. The center-forward has scored seven times and provided an assist in 13 Serie A matches. He has also bagged four goals in five appearances in the UEFA Europa League.
Thanks to Lukaku’s impressive run of form this season, there has been speculation that Chelsea might consider keeping him at Stamford Bridge after he returns from loan in July. Transfer guru Romano, however, has played such reports down, stating that the Blues have no plans to keep Lukaku at the moment.
In his Daily Briefing column, the Italian journalist stated (via CaughtOffside):
“Some fans have been asking me if Chelsea could decide to keep Lukaku if he keeps performing at such a high level, but at this current stage there’s nothing to report on that.
“There are no plans to keep Lukaku, but in general Chelsea are not even thinking that far ahead – their focus is on present situation and not on Lukaku situation, as that will be discussed in June.”
According to Transfermarkt, Lukaku’s current market value stands at €40 million ($43.13 million). His contract with Chelsea will expire in June 2026.
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