Mourinho convinced Lukaku to return to Roma
According to Sky Sports, Roma will pay a fee of $ 5.5 million to borrow Lukaku, which will increase to $ 8.5 million if bonuses are included. The contract between the two sides does not have a mandatory purchase clause, and Lukaku will return to Chelsea in July 2024.
The Belgian striker accepted a deep salary reduction to join the Olimpico stadium owner. Initially, he was expected to have an income of $ 11 million in the 2023-2024 season with Chelsea paying part of the salary. But Lukaku accepted a deep reduction to $ 8 million, compared to the $ 13 million he received at Stamford Bridge.
Roma accelerated the negotiation process when owner Dan Friedkin and director Tiago Pinto traveled to London to negotiate with Chelsea over the weekend. Mourinho was also involved in the process, constantly talking and convincing Lukaku.
The two sides found common ground on August 28, when Chief Executive Officer Lina Souloukou and Director of Financial Planning Anna Rabuano also flew to London. Football Italia said these are the people who specialize in drafting Roma's contracts.
According to Sky Sports, Lukaku will fly with owner Dan Friedkin from London to Rome this afternoon to complete the final procedures before officially signing the contract. The local authorities have received this news to prepare for the large number of tifosi Roma present at Ciampino airport to welcome the 30-year-old striker.
This summer, Inter reached an agreement to buy Lukaku from Chelsea, but the deal fell through when the 30-year-old striker secretly negotiated with Juventus. The Belgian striker then could not reach the "Old Lady" because Juventus had not found an outlet for Dusan Vlahovic. He also turned down offers from Al Hilal of Saudi Pro League and Dortmund.
Lukaku is said to be excited about the prospect of reuniting with his old teacher Mourinho. When he took charge of Chelsea for the second time in 2013, the "Special One" let Lukaku go to Everton on loan, despite the fact that he had just had a great season at West Brom when he scored 17 goals in the Premier League. In the Everton shirt, Lukaku continued to impress in the 2013-2014 season with 15 goals in the Premier League. However, Mourinho continued to "abandon" the young star and decided to sell him permanently to Goodison Park for $ 36 million.
The two teachers and students reunited in the summer of 2017, when Man Utd recruited Lukaku for $ 97 million, but both experienced unsuccessful times at Old Trafford. Mourinho was sacked in December 2018, and Lukaku pressured to leave Man Utd in the summer transfer window of 2019.
Lukaku is the next name to join Roma this summer, after Houssem Aouar, Evan Ndicka, Diego Llorente, Leandro Paredes, Renato Sanches and Sardar Azmoun. He is expected to solve the problem in attack, with Tammy Abraham out for the rest of 2023 and Paulo Dybala injured last weekend.
Roma started Serie A badly, drawing Salernitana 2-2 at home and then losing 1-2 at Verona. In the next round on September 1, Mourinho's teachers and students will have a great battle with Milan - where Lukaku can make his debut.
