Chelsea flop Lukaku agrees move away from Stamford Bridge

Chelsea picked up their first victory of the new Premier League season as they beat Luton Town 3-0 on Friday evening.

A Raheem Sterling brace put the Blues in a commanding position against the Hatters, and the performance was capped off perfectly when new arrival Nicolas Jackson grabbed his first goal for the club.

Next up for Mauricio Pochettino’s side is a game against League One side AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, before they return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest three days later.

In the meantime, one of the club’s most expensive players appears to finally be moving closer to securing a move away from the club.

According to 90min, striker Romelu Lukaku has agreed to take a pay-cut in order to finalise a loan move to Italian side Roma.

The 30-year-old is currently facing an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, having returned to London earlier this summer after spending last season on loan at Inter Milan.

Chelsea spent £97.5 million to sign the Belgian from Inter back in 2021, after he netted 24 times to guide the club to the Serie A title.

Lukaku could be on his way to join Roma

The Belgium international had previously spent time at Chelsea as a youngster, but his return to the club didn’t quite go to plan.

During the 2021/22 season, the striker netted just eight Premier League goals and found himself on the bench regularly after criticising then-manager Thomas Tuchel in an interview with Italian media.

The report claims that the player has agreed a deal with Serie A side Roma, managed by Jose Mourinho who worked with Lukaku at both Chelsea and Manchester United.

He will take a pay cut of almost a third of his current wages in order to complete the move, the report claims, as the Blues are refusing to contribute towards his salary while he is out on loan.

Chelsea had initially hoped to find a club willing to sign Lukaku on a permanent deal but, after struggling to do so, they have now agreed to let the forward leave on loan.

Despite this, Roma have so far only offered around half of the £9 million loan fee that their Premier League counterparts are demanding, and a deal therefore hasn’t yet been agreed.

Lukaku’s record in Italy will appeal to Mourinho, with the striker having scored an impressive 78 goals in 132 matches across all competitions for Inter, including 57 in 97 top flight games.