Despite the exit of José Mourinho from AS Roma, there appears to still be a desire from AS Roma to keep Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku beyond the current season.
The Belgian striker was sent on loan to the Serie A side until the end of the campaign, and there was hope he could recapture his old form to attract bids so the Blues can finally be rid of him.
Gazzetta dello Sport have an article on the matter on Wednesday, explaining that Chelsea, in order to avoid a ‘capital loss’ on the player, would need to sell him for €43m.
It’s explained that when the deal was struck, and Roma paid €7.38m to get him on loan, there was a gentleman’s agreement struck between Chelsea and the player that he would then have to leave permanently if someone bid £37m, or €43m, for him.
The deal meant ‘no more loans’, and there his only one way the striker can stay where he currently is, which is if Daniele De Rossi’s side qualify for the Champions League.
If they were to secure a spot in the competition, they would get €40-45m, but that wouldn’t be enough, because on top of the fee, they would have to pay Lukaku for three years, which could take the deal to around €80m.
Therefore, they would also need a potential one or two exits to be able to afford him, meaning this remains ‘complicated’ for them to say the least.
