Romelu Lukaku, 31, of Chelsea and Napoli reach an agreement for a transfer for up to £38 million, over two years after he made his final Blues appearance.

Romelu Lukaku, a striker for Napoli, is almost ready to sign a contract with Chelsea.
Lukaku has been on loan at Inter Milan and Roma for the past two seasons.
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Romelu Lukaku’s trade to Chelsea has been agreed upon after productive negotiations on Friday.

Positive negotiations have taken place this week, and the 31-year-old Belgian, who is among the players in the Blues’ “bomb squad” that are out for sale, may soon get back together with Antonio Conte, his former head coach.

The 31-year-old will sign a three-year contract with the Italian team, which will pay £26 million plus an additional £12 million. This will allow the player to reunite with Conte.

After talks in London, there has been a willingness on all parties to conclude the agreement, which is rumoured to be closer than ever to the exit.

After spent the previous two seasons on loan in Italy, Lukaku will now play for a new Serie A team as a result of the move. In 2022–2023 he was at Inter Milan; in 2023–2024 he was at Roma.

After their past success at Inter Milan, Omelu Lukaku (left) and manager Antonio Conte (right) are expected to reconnect at Napoli.

The 31-year-old Belgian striker Lukaku was captured this summer in Germany during Euro 2024.

In August 2021, Chelsea paid Inter £97.5 million to acquire Lukaku. Throughout 44 games in the 2021–22 season, he scored 15 goals. It was in May 2022 that he last played for the Stamford Bridge club.

Instead of authorizing yet another loan for Lukaku, Chelsea has been eager to sell him permanently this summer, and Conte is eager to collaborate with him once more after their time together at Inter.

Last Saturday, Napoli lost 3-0 to Verona to begin their season.

Chelsea is still looking for a new striker and has expressed strong interest in Victor Osimhen of Napoli this summer.

After their Conference League victory over Servette on Thursday, head coach Enzo Maresca acknowledged as much, saying, ‘If we have the chance to bring in a nine that can help us and make the difference, then we are going to try.’

After Lukaku’s sale is completed, Chelsea is anticipated to increase their interest in Osimhen.

Lukaku has been out of the Chelsea lineup since 2022, having played on loan for the previous two seasons.

Chelsea may become more aggressive in their pursuit of Napoli forward Victor Osimhen after Lukaku is sold.

But Chelsea wants to let go of a lot of other players before the transfer window shuts.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, a goalkeeper who cost £72 million, makes about £200,000 a week. In order for the 29-year-old to be employed on loan, his contract must be extended for at least a year at a lower salary.

Djordje Petrovic, another goalie for Chelsea, has declined the offer to relocate to Strasbourg.

In the meantime, Chelsea is keeping an eye on Nottingham Forest defender Murillo in case Trevoh Chalobah, Axel Disasi, and Benoit Badiashile depart.

Regarding player sales, Maresca stated: “With one week remaining in the transfer window, maybe we can find solutions for every