Romelu Lukaku agrees personal terms with new club

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 10 Jul 2024 16:48 BST
• 3 min read

Romelu Lukaku has agreed to join Napoli this summer.

That is according to transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio, who reports that the Chelsea striker has agreed personal terms with the 2023 Serie A champions.

Lukaku has promised new Napoli manager Antonio Conte that he will wait for him as the pair reunite once again.

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In order for the transfer to be completed, Napoli must first sell Victor Osimhen. This is proving more difficult than first though as no clubs are prepared to pay the €130 million release clause in his contract. Napoli will now reduce his price tag in an attempt to attract more interest.

As soon as Osimhen leaves, Napoli will negotiate with Chelsea to bring Lukaku to the club.

Conte and Lukaku previously worked together at Inter, where the Belgian played the best football of his career on the way to winning the 2021 Scudetto.

Conte previously tried to sign Lukaku when he was Juventus and Chelsea manager.

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Lukaku is not in Chelsea’s plans for next season following his return to the club after his loan at Roma this past season.

Lukaku initially rejoined Chelsea from Inter in the summer of 2021 for a then-club record transfer fee of €115 million.

But he was a disaster during the 2021-22 campaign, falling out with manager Thomas Tuchel, criticising the club publicly and performing poorly on the pitch.

Chelsea have tried to sell Lukaku since then but have been unable to find a club willing to pay the amortised cost of his transfer each summer.

As a result, he spent the 2022-23 campaign back at Inter on loan, and then the past season on loan at Roma.

Having returned to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have set an asking price of over €40m, which is deemed excessive by Serie A clubs.

Napoli will try to negotiate that figure down.

Lukaku played at Euro 2024 for Belgium where he failed to find the back of the net as his country were eliminated in the last 16 by France.