Page 75 - Soccer360 - Issue 103

Romelu Lukaku (L) of Belgium in action during the
UEFA EURO 2024 qualification group match between Estonia and Belgium
Roma’s head coach Jose’ Mourinho
The tumultuous summer of Lukaku – five key moments
Things have not been simple for the Belgian striker since his over €110m move to West London back in August 2021. After a difficult season in the Premier League, he returned to Italy with the Nerazzurri, coming back on loan.
After a tough start back with Inter, Lukaku finally started to make things work in the latter stages of the campaign and he finished with 14 goals and seven assists in 37 total games. It almost seemed a forgone conclusion that he would return to Simone Inzaghi’s squad once the summer transfer window opened.
Now, almost three months later, Lukaku is ready to return to Serie A but not with Inter, instead joining up with Jose Mourinho’s Roma on a loan deal with no permanence clause. So, what happened?
1 – ‘NO’RAZZURRI
Although Inter played coy about Lukaku’s future in the second half of last season, it was fairly apparent that they were working on setting up a new loan deal with Chelsea, keen to retain the 30-year-old. Talks seemed to be progressing well and the Nerazzurri were drawing up terms for a loan
deal with a buy option attached for Lukaku, until suddenly deciding to move away and give up on the former Manchester United man.
The reason? Inter were furious after discovering that Lukaku had secretly been in talks with Juventus, even just days before their Champions League final in Istanbul. Considering their efforts to satisfy him, the club were deeply offended and chose to move on.
2 – LUKAKU OF ARABIA?
One key characteristic of this summer transfer window was the emergence of Saudi Arabian
clubs in the market. Following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, a long list of European stars decided to make the jump to the Middle East
this summer, taking advantage of the incredibly lucrative contracts offered. It was hardly a surprise, then, when Al-Hilal came forward with a rich contract offer for Lukaku, willing to pay him up €40m per year in a three-year deal. Chelsea were relieved, believing their problem had finally be solved. Lukaku had other ideas. The 30-year-old resisted the Saudi interest, making his desire to stay in Europe clear, and multiple approaches from Al-Hilal did little to change his mind, leaving him in West London waiting for a return to Italy.
3 – THE WOLF OF PADANIA STREET
With Al-Hilal not considered and Inter looking elsewhere, Lukaku tasked lawyer Sebastien Ledure to find him a new home in Italy. Two top clubs in particular were the focus – Juventus and Milan.
The former had already explored a move whilst the latter were openly in the market for a striker. Lukaku’s representatives met multiple times with Juventus and Massimiliano Allegri made it clear that he wanted a deal to be agreed, keen to work with the Belgian following the Bianconeri’s struggle for consistent goals last term.
Milan, on the other hand, proved a tough cookie to crack and quickly decided not to invest an effort into signing the 30-year-old, concerned about his impact on the dressing room and his suitability for Stefano Pioli’s squad.
4 – A SERBIAN STRIKER IN LONDON?
Juventus moved forward for Lukaku and began negotiating with Chelsea, wanting to understand the possible margins of a deal. Considering the delicate financial position in Turin, it was apparent that a definitive transfer wouldn’t be easy to agree. As such, a key element of the negotiations was
Dusan Vlahovic. The 23-year-old Serbian striker had struggled to match expectations since making his €80m move from Fiorentina in January 2022 and rumours of a strained relationship with Massimiliano Allegri continued to rumble on.
Juventus hoped to swap Vlahovic for Lukaku but they wanted Chelsea to make up the difference between the two players’ values, hoping for a €30-40m fee in addition to the swap. Ultimately, Mauricio Pochettino’s side decided not to sign Vlahovic, causing talks to slow to a complete stop.
5 – THE ITALIAN CAPITAL JOB
As the end of the summer transfer window appeared on the horizon, Lukaku was still languishing in limbo, not being a part of the pre- season with Chelsea. Options looked slim for the 30-year-old and a reluctant move to Saudi Arabia started to look a real possibility.
Suddenly, Jose Mourinho’s Roma emerged. The club had been searching far and wide for a new striker for months following the serious injury suffered by Tammy Abraham but were left empty handed as August started to tick by, so they decided to try their hand for Lukaku.
Talks with Chelsea progressed quickly and positively, with both clubs keen to quickly wrap up a deal, and Roma agreed to sign Lukaku on a €5.8m loan deal with no permanence clause attached. The 30-year-old agreed to drop his salary to €7.5m net in order to push through the move, allowing him to return to Serie A once again. Deal Done!
Roma fans waiting for Romelu Lukaku to arrive at Ciampino Airport, Rome, Italy
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