Italian side Roma keen to sign Chelsea flop Lukaku permanently

Chelsea’s tough run of fixtures continues on Sunday when they face Premier League leaders Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. 

The Blues earned a huge 4-1 victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night, with Nicolas Jackson netting a late hat-trick to earn all three points after Spurs had two men sent off.

Despite the win, Mauricio Pochettino’s side still sit eighth in the Premier League table, and the Citizens ill undoubtedly provide a stern test on Sunday.

In the meantime, it appears that the club could be edging closer to finding a solution to the future of unwanted striker Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgian is currently on loan at Italian side Roma, and the Serie A giants are keen to sign him permanently once that loan spell ends, according to Sky Sports.

Lukaku, 30, spent time with Chelsea as a youngster and returned to the club in 2021, having helped Inter Milan win the Serie A title during the 2020/21 campaign.

Lukaku has enjoyed a fine start to his time in the Italian capital

His return to London didn’t go to plan, though, and he netted just eight time in the Premier League before being loaned back to inter ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Having largely failed to impress last term, Lukaku once again returned to Stamford Bridge over the summer and faced an extremely uncertain future.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma then emerged as a potential suitor, and the Belgian forward was sent back to Italy on a season-long loan.

Since arriving in the Italian capital, Lukaku has scored nine times in 12 matches across all competitions, including a late winner against Lecce on Sunday evening.

That form has prompted those in charge of Roma, and Mourinho himself, to show interest in signing the player permanently at the end of the current season.

If they do sell Lukaku, Chelsea will likely make a significant financial loss on a player that cost them a staggering £97.5 million less than two-and-a-half years ago.