If Romelu Lukaku goes out on loan, it will close the door for some other unwanted Chelsea players Photo: AFP/GABRIEL BUIS
First he didn't want to play for Thomas Tuchel, then there was Chelsea, then Saudi Arabia, then Inter Milan and now Juventus, and Romelu Lukaku suddenly decided that Roma was the best place for him.
< When Lukaku reflects on a summer saga that not only threatens to mark the last rites of his own career at the highest level, but also placed Chelsea in an unenviable position, he may finally realize: “It’s not about you, it’s about me".
Chelsea were forced to negotiate a deal to bring Lukaku to Roma on a season-long loan, turning down two £23m and £26m offers from Inter before the Belgian effectively sabotaged that particular exit route. Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku has previously turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia and has now told Chelsea he does not want a move to Juventus, the latest club to negotiate a permanent transfer before the summer window closes next week. /p>
Juventus have made it clear that they can only afford to buy Lukaku by selling Dusan Vlahovic or sending him as a partial trade to Chelsea, but the striker has run out of patience, which is ironic given the level of tolerance for his performance is at an all-time low.
Thus, Chelsea are now facing the prospect of having to give up Lukaku for another 12 months, and Roma are unlikely to agree to a commitment to buy a 30-year-old and probably won't be able to to fully cover their £325,000 a week. salary.
Lukaku played on loan in Serie A with Inter last season. Photo: UEFA/Alexander Hassenstein
Lukaku's decision has wider implications. The club have discussed using the two outgoing international loans available to them for Leslie Ugochukwu and David Washington, but if the Roma deal goes through, they will now only have one available overseas location.
This means Ugochukwu. either Washington will either have to stay at Chelsea with little prospect of playing this season, or co-sports directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart will have to quickly find an inside loan for one of the pair. on loan to Nottingham Forest for this season may indicate that fellow midfielder Ugochukwu will now remain at the club.
Let's not engage in any public relations that try to show us that there is respect and admiration on both sides. Lukaku treated Chelsea and some of those who tried to help him with disdain, and the club was right to be furious.
Fast 12 months ago and Chelsea were ready to pander to Lukaku after , as he told the owners, who inherited a £97.5 million nightmare: he wanted to return to Inter Milan who couldn't afford the transfer fee.
Outsiders were shocked that co-owners Todd Boeli and Behdad Egbali agreed to loan Lukaku back to the Italian club 12 months after he became Chelsea's record signing at the start of the summer window.
But he quit this favor has paid them back not once, not twice, but three times, reducing the market for him to the point where Chelsea can no longer play hard against Lukaku, who has trained with the club's under-21 team and is believed to be in at least three weeks until he's ready to play.
With the chaos around him and the fact that he hasn't made any significant pre-season appearances, Lukaku isn't ready to hit the ground running under José Mourinho in Rome and there. Of course, there is no guarantee that he will score enough goals to bring more clubs to the table next summer.
Even thinking about what they might do with Lukaku in 12 months, when he still has two years in stock. The Chelsea deal will make Boeli and Egbali break out in a cold sweat. Tuchel, Saudi, Inter and Juve will consider themselves lucky.
Свежие комментарии