How Jay-Z helped seal Lukaku’s Chelsea fate

Suraj Radia

Updated: 21 Oct 2022 07:41 BST
3 min read

Chelsea opted to loan Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan this summer after Todd Boehly consulted the expertise of his friend, businessman and rapper Jay-Z.

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Lukaku rejoined his former side just one year after leaving them to sign for Chelsea for £97.5 million, having endured a difficult campaign back in the Premier League.

Inter paid an €8m loan fee to bring Lukaku back to the San Siro but the Belgian has failed to make the same impact from his previous spell, with a host of fitness concerns limiting him to just three appearances so far.

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Italian outlet Gazzetta claims that Chelsea are not interested in bringing Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge when his loan expires in the summer, with negotiations to be held over the 29-year-old continuing in Serie A.

The report also states that Chelsea owner Boehly was told by Jay-Z that a move to Italy would be best for Lukaku, with the rapper’s Roc Nation brand representing the striker.

Inter are believed to be concerned over Lukaku’s slow recovery from injury but they would still be willing to sign him permanently if Chelsea are willing to take a significant loss on their record signing.

Lukaku, for his part, is said to have ‘moved on’ from his spell at Chelsea and is also looking forward to permanently severing ties with the club.

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Chelsea’s striker curse is still plaguing the club despite the bright start to the career of summer signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gabonese forward arrived from Barcelona on deadline day and has scored three goals so far but, at 33 years old, he was always meant to be a stopgap towards a long-term solution.

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The Blues have started well under new boss Graham Potter but they struggled to break down Brentford in their most recent Premier League game, highlighting the inconsistency with their attack.

Raheem Sterling remains the club’s top scorer despite just one goal in his last eight games across all competitions and it is expected that a striker will be a top priority for Chelsea next summer.

While they may pursue the likes of Rafael Leao or Neymar, it is clear that Lukaku will not be Chelsea’s problem next year and the club will do whatever they can to ensure that.