Chelsea end interest in Napoli’s Victor Osimhen as Blues look to shift £100m flop Romelu Lukaku permanently

Chelsea is two years into the ownership under Todd Boehly & BlueCo and it has been a period of massive upheaval throughout the organization. On-pitch acquisitions have made the most headlines with a squad of talented but young players replacing almost the entire playing roster.

After big-money investments entered their billions, Chelsea also needed to be shrewd in covering up for those massive expenditures with profits. Hence, academy graduates have provided a reliable strategy as proceeds from their sale represents 100% profit on the books. 

Other squad members are also up for sale including the likes of Omari Hutchinson, Armando Broja, Conor Gallagher, Malang Sarr, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Trevoh Chalobah. Chelsea is not under immediate pressure but they may still need to raise funds by June 30 to improve their compliance with Profit and Sustainability rules. That pressure to sell players will surely not affect the demand for Chelsea tickets by fans in any way.

One star who they are very keen to offload is striker Romelu Lukaku and both parties are looking for a permanent solution this summer. Chelsea have loaned out the Belgian to Inter Milan and Roma in the last two seasons and are now determined to recoup some of the mouthwatering £98 million they paid to bring back Lukaku in 2021.

After becoming the club-record transfer at the time and the most expensive player ever in cumulative transfer fees, the 31-year-old made just 26 Premier League appearances during his second spell at Stamford Bridge and scored only eight league goals. 

Lukaku was sent out on loan back to Italy after his chaotic season during which he also lashed out at his then-manager, Thomas Tuchel, in a shocking interview. He still has a contract until 2026 with the West London giants and with another loan move having been ruled out, a few solutions have been muted.

One of the suggestions was that Lukaku could move to Napoli potentially in a swap deal with Victor Osimhen, but the Blues are said to have ended their interest in the Nigerian striker.

Osimhen had a somewhat underwhelming season and new boss Antonio Conte is keen to reunite with Lukaku while the Napoli number 9 potentially moves to his preferred destination. 

La Repubblica reports that the Parthenopeans have made a £13m offer plus £2.5m in bonuses which is far off Chelsea’s asking price. Lukaku was earning around £325,000 per week but reportedly agreed to a new contract with a wage cut and a release clause of £37 million last summer.

Chelsea knows that interest in the striker will remain high due to that asking fee for someone who recorded 21 goals and four assists in 47 games for Roma last term. There is said to be interest from AC Milan who already had a loan enquiry rejected by the Blues.

Meanwhile, the player himself has even hinted at the potential of returning to Anderlecht in Belgium but it is unclear how that deal would be funded. 

On a sensational return to Anderlecht, Lukaku told RTL info: “Of course it will happen. I think much sooner than people think. I left Belgium at 18, I miss my mother and my children. Anderlecht is where it all began for me, the club of my heart.

“I have been a supporter of Anderlecht since I was little. I had gone to see a match against Dender, Tom De Sutter had scored a double, and I was looking at the supporters around me. I had just come up as a reserve, and when I got home, I told my parents that. In a few months, it was me.”

Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho is also interested in reuniting with Lukaku at Fenerbahce but there are yet to be concrete offers close to tempting Chelsea. 

It is quite an annoying situation for the Blues who are struggling to make some decent money back on the third-most expensive signing in the club’s history. Any chance of a return to his parent club yet appears remote even with the appointment of new manager Enzo Maresca.

Nevertheless, none of the interested parties might be able to compete with a serious buyer when they finally emerge. That could come in the form of a Saudi Pro League club that will certainly put forward a financial package that no European clubs can match. 

Al-Ittihad are favourites to sign Lukaku from Chelsea should Karim Benzema depart as is expected this summer. The player had a mammoth offer from Al-Hilal rejected last year but things could be much different if a club from the Gulf state were to come forward with another offer in 2024. 

Lukaku has revealed that he is now ready to make the move to Saudi Arabia. Speaking to Belgian broadcaster VTM, he said:

“Saudi Arabia wouldn’t stop me. The level will only increase to a much higher level than many people think. More and more football players will tend to play there, also because of how the fans there experience football. The infrastructure still needs to be improved, but all major European clubs know, ‘Saudi Arabia is coming’. You already see that in boxing, golf, Formula 1…”

Lifting the lid on his proposed move to Al-Hilal last summer, he added: “That was intense at the time. For two weeks. For two days in a row I thought, ‘Yes, I’m going’, ‘No, I’m not going’.

“Because everyone only went to Saudi Arabia after I could sign there, I was scared for a moment.”

For now, the striker will be focused on Belgium’s Euro 2024 campaign which starts with a clash against Slovakia on June 17. The Red Devils will look to gain some momentum heading into the knockout stages and although they are not among the favourites as in recent editions, they will be desperate to shock rivals and neutral fans. 

Lukaku is crucial to any hopes they have and the nation’s all-time top scorer will be feeling confident ahead of leading his compatriots, with a few interested observers paying close attention.