Roma legend Totti in SPICY transfer claim on Chelsea dud Lukaku and Dybala

Tom Weber

Updated: 19 Mar 2024 08:14 CDT
4 min read

Paulo Dybala, Romelu Lukaku, Sardar Azmoun, Roma — © IMAGO

Francesco Totti has given his thoughts on the futures of Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala, and his words will ruffle some feathers.

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Roma are in the midst of a strange season. A team stacked with talent, they severely underwhelmed under coaching legend Jose Mourinho, leading to his sacking in January.

Since club icon Daniele de Rossi took charge of the side, their fortunes have massively improved. The capital side are through to the Europa League quarter-finals after defeating Brighton and they are just four points off Bologna in fourth in the Serie A standings.

There is still a long way to go in this season, but the speculation surrounding the futures of some of Roma's biggest names has rarely subsided in recent months. Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku continue to be the biggest talking points in the Eternal City.

Totti makes strange transfer claim

Dybala will be available for just €12 million in the summer due to a release clause and Barcelona are said to be interested. The future of Lukaku, meanwhile, is still the subject of debate. His Chelsea career is over, but Roma will struggle to sign him permanently for €40m, especially if they miss out on the Champions League.

It is likely that Lukaku will play his football in Saudi Arabia next season, but according to Roma legend Francesco Totti, the Giallorossi would be well-advised to try and keep the Belgian, who has netted 18 goals in all competitions. Injury-prone Dybala, who has 14 goals and seven assists, should be offloaded despite being one of the club's best pieces of business in recent years.

“We are talking about a top player [Dybala], but it depends on what the club wants to do and what objectives he has," Totti told Corriere dello Sport. "If a player plays 15 games a year for you, as a manager, I would think about it [selling him]. If I have an important objective to achieve and I have one of the most important players who plays a third of the games for me, I’ll reflect on his future. On the other hand, I would keep Lukaku.”