Antonio Conte to do Chelsea a huge transfer favour this summer

Tom Weber

Updated: 27 May 2024 19:11 BST
3 min read

Antonio Conte could be reunited with Romelu Lukaku at Napoli, according to Italian media.

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The former Chelsea and Tottenham boss appears to be on the verge of becoming the Partenopei's next head coach a year after leaving Spurs. Conte has been linked with seemingly every available big job in recent months, but the 2023 Serie A champions are now making good progress in the talks with the Italian.

According to Corriere Della Sera, Conte has accepted the fact that Napoli will sell star striker Victor Osimhen this summer and plans are being put in place to hand the new coach a reliable replacement. One of the players on the list of options is Romelu Lukaku.

Though Chelsea want Osimhen, a straight swap between the two players is highly unlikely. Osimhen has a €130 million release clause that Napoli will insist on getting triggered. Nevertheless, Conte and company could do the Blues a massive favour by signing Lukaku.

Conte reunited with Lukaku?

Despite the fact that Conte used to coach Chelsea, he actually knows Lukaku from his Inter days rather than from his time at Stamford Bridge. In two seasons under the Italian coach, the Belgian striker netted a whopping 64 goals and 17 assists in 95 games.

This was the form that prompted Chelsea to splash €113 million on re-signing him and Napoli will hope that the 31-year-old can recapture some of that prolificness at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Lukaku, still on the books at Chelsea after a permanent transfer failed to materialise last summer, has spent the bygone season on loan at AS Roma, but it appears unlikely that they will be able to make his stay permanent.

The striker has Saudi suitors, but remaining in Europe will surely appeal to Lukaku. If Napoli manage to sell Osimhen, they will have more than enough money to pay €45m Chelsea are demanding for the Belgian.