'Here We Go'! Chelsea and Napoli Reach 'Verbal Agreement' for Romelu Lukaku Transfer

Chelsea and Napoli have reportedly reached a transfer agreement over Romelu Lukaku’s move to Serie A. Famed football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the news on X in his signature ‘Here We Go’ style. He claims a verbal agreement has taken place between the two clubs. Romano further reported that The Blues have nodded to a €30 million fixed fee for the Belgian striker. With add-ons up to €15 million, the package is estimated to be worth around €45 million. As per Romano, Ali Barat for Epic Sports has brokered this permanent transfer. The Belgian is set to sign a three-year deal at the Serie A club. “Romelu Lukaku to Napoli, here we go!” read Romano’s post.

Fabrizio Romano shared an update yesterday, August 23, claiming that the negotiations for Romelu Lukaku were taking place in London. Chelsea asked for a lumpsum €37 million but Napoli didn’t want to pay the release clause. They were willing to negotiate different terms instead. Meanwhile, the player himself was waiting for a green light. The Belgian is now expected to join the Italian side on a permanent deal that includes a sell-on clause. This move could also lead to Victor Osimhen’s transfer moving in the opposite direction.

Romelu Lukaku has been one of the prime targets for Napoli this summer. It was earlier reported that the club’s head coach Antonio Conte only saw the Belgian striker as an ideal fit. This led to a ton of negotiation between Chelsea and Napoli to get the deal done. Premier League side Aston Villa were also in the race to sign Lukaku. Unai Emery was seemingly looking for a replacement for Jhon Duran but they eventually conceded to Napoli.

Since his return to Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku has been forced to train with the club’s exiled group. This particular section of players included stars like Raheem Sterling, Trevoh Chalobah and Ben Chilwell. Lukaku re-joined the Stamford Bridge outfit in 2021. The Londoners paid a fee of €113 million to bring the player back from Serie A as the Belgian had enjoyed two prolific seasons with Inter Milan between 2019 to 2021. Lukaku had a rough start in his return stint which led to him spending two loan seasons in Italy, the first back at Inter and the second one with Roma. Moreover, a controversial interview with Sky Italia also ended up tarnishing his reputation in West London.

As for Chelsea, The Blues are currently looking to offload some players to trim down a bloated squad. They have conducted 11 signings this summer leading to the squad strength crossing 40.