Romelu Lukaku finds next club as Chelsea looks to solve $125m transfer headache

Romelu Lukaku's time at Chelsea could be drawing to a close - as negotiations with Napoli are making significant progress.

The Belgian striker's transfer journey over the past three years has been nothing short of chaotic. After shelling out £97.5 million ($125.9 million) to Inter Milan for his services during the summer of 2021, Premier League team Chelsea has seen little return on its investment.

A loan spell back at Inter for the 2022-23 season did little to reignite his form, and upon his return to London in 2023, things took a turn for the worse. A disagreement with then-manager Mauricio Pochettino saw Lukaku relegated to training with the U21s, and the pair never managed to reconcile after Lukaku expressed his desire to leave Chelsea.

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Despite these challenges, Lukaku found some success on loan at Roma last season, netting 21 goals and providing four assists across 47 appearances. However, according to Calcio Napoli 24 , his return to Stamford Bridge this season is likely to be short-lived.

The report indicates that an agreement between Chelsea and Napoli is in place, with Lukaku now awaiting a medical. The striker is currently enjoying a holiday following his participation in Euro 2024 with Belgium.

While on his break, Lukaku has been following a personalised fitness plan designed by Napoli. Antonio Conte, who has previously worked with the 31-year-old, is well aware of what it takes to get Lukaku in peak condition for the upcoming season.

However, it remains unclear whether he will be heading to Napoli on loan or as a permanent transfer. Given that his contract with the west London club runs until summer 2026, Chelsea wants to offload him permanently, as his market value is likely to depreciate if he stays beyond the summer window.

Liverpool.com says: Lukaku is undoubtedly one of the best strikers of his generation and has scored goals wherever he's gone... apart from Chelsea. Despite boasting more than 300 club goals at the age of 31, he'll always be remembered as a Chelsea flop.