Napoli have submitted an offer to sign Romelu Lukaku on loan, with an option to buy for £25.5 million. Lukaku, who rejoined Chelsea for £98 million in 2021, has not featured for the Blues for over two years. He was notably absent from Enzo Maresca’s squad during their 2-0 opening-day defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
The Belgian striker has spent the last two seasons on loan at Inter Milan and AS Roma and now seems poised to return to Italy for a third time. However, Chelsea are holding out for a permanent sale closer to Lukaku’s £36 million release clause, as the forward still has two years remaining on his Stamford Bridge contract.
In a parallel development, Chelsea and Napoli are continuing discussions over Victor Osimhen, though any potential deal for the Nigerian forward would be separate from the Lukaku negotiations.
Osimhen’s departure from Napoli has been anticipated for some time, with many expecting him to make a significant move in the summer of 2023 after playing a pivotal role in helping the club secure the Italian Serie A title.
However, instead of transferring, Osimhen signed a new contract with Napoli, which included an improved salary and a release clause set at £113 million, along with a gentleman’s agreement allowing him to leave in 2024
Osimhen, who has scored 76 goals in 133 appearances for Napoli, was instrumental in securing the Serie A title for the club in the 2022-23 season. Surprisingly, he was not included in Napoli’s squad for their first game of the new season on Sunday.
That match proved disastrous for Napoli’s new manager, Antonio Conte, as his side suffered a 3-0 loss away to Verona. Conte is reportedly eager to reunite with Lukaku, having previously managed him at Inter Milan. During their two seasons together at Inter from 2019 to 2021, Lukaku netted 47 league goals and helped secure the Serie A title before making his high-profile move to Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Chelsea remain active in the transfer market. On Monday night, it was revealed that the club had reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid to sign Joao Felix on a six-year contract.
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