(Football news) The Blues have been attempting to offload Lukaku all summer, but there hasn’t been much interest in bringing him in on a long-term basis. The Belgian international is now available on loan from Mauricio Pochettino’s team with less than a week left in the transfer window.

After Chelsea put Lukaku available on loan, Roma have emerged as the favourites to sign him. Officials from the Serie A club are due to speak with representatives from Chelsea directly today (Saturday, August 26) in order to discuss a short-term contract for the striker.

The Blues want to loan out Lukaku for between £8 million and £10 million, claims the aforementioned source, and they are refusing to part with that money. The Premier League heavyweights are insistent that they will not pay any of the center-forward’s salaries during the length of any transaction.

In order to get a job at Roma, Lukaku must consequently lower his annual wage to £7 million. He will reconnect in Italy with Jose Mourinho, with whom he previously worked at Chelsea and Manchester United, should the trade go through. Under the management, he scored 33 goals and contributed 11 assists in 76 appearances across all competitions.

The 30-year-old Romelu Lukaku has been linked to Juventus as a possible summer transfer. But Dusan Vlahovic’s departure is a requirement for the Turin-based club’s ambition to sign the Belgian. Although the Serb is valued at £68 million by the Bianconeri, he is unlikely to depart.

It’s also important to note that Chelsea and Al-Hilal, a team in the Saudi Pro League, agreed on a deal for Lukaku to cost £40 million. The Riyadh team was prepared to match the Blues’ estimate of the player. The striker’s resistance to moving to the Middle East caused the transfer to fall through.

Before the window ends on September 20, the English giants allegedly expect that Saudi Arabia will show more interest in Lukaku. However, due to the centre-forward’s reluctance to play outside of Europe, Mauricio Pochettino’s team may be forced to approve a loan move to AS Roma.

There have been rumours that AC Milan, a Serie A foe of Roma, is monitoring Lukaku’s position. However, after having direct discussions with the London giants, Jose Mourinho’s team is optimistic about concluding a transaction as soon as possible.
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