Jose Mourinho is set to reunite with Romelu Lukaku for a third time, with the Chelsea striker close to sealing a loan move to AS Roma following talks with his old coach
Jose Mourinho played a major role in convincing Romelu Lukaku to accept a new challenge at AS Roma after Chelsea shelved plans to sell the Belgium striker.
The Blues lured Lukaku, 30, back to Stamford Bridge for a second spell in the summer of 2021, having secured a club-record £97.5million from Inter Milan. But after struggling to impress, Lukaku was sent back to his former club on loan last year.
After seeing talks over permanent deals with Inter and Juventus collapse earlier in the dinow, Lukaku has been left in limbo for the opening weeks of the 2023/24 campaign. However, the former Manchester United forward has now been given a career lifeline by Mourinho.
According to The Independent, Mourinho spoke to Lukaku privately to convince him that the move to Roma was the right move. Furthermore, the Portuguese coach sent a delegation to London to thrash out a deal with Chelsea; making it clear that they would not return to Italy without an agreement.
Before Mourinho and Roma announced their interest, Chelsea were determined to only entertain permanent offers for Lukaku in a bid to recoup a fraction of the huge sum they spent to bring him back to the Premier League two years ago. passed.
However, a lack of suitors has forced the Londoners to soften their stance, with Roma willing to pay an £8m loan fee and cover Lukaku’s wages in full as part of the deal.
Join the debate! Do you think Lukaku can start his career under Mourinho? Let us know here.
It was reported last week that Lukaku was not on speaking terms with new Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino and was training away from the first-team squad. The Blues have already signed Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku this summer and are also understood to be in the market for another forward.
Mourinho, who previously worked with Lukaku in the past at Chelsea and Manchester United, spoke The Times last summer he learned how to get the best out of the Belgium international.
Speaking of backing up in June 2022, Mourinho said of Lukaku: “[In his first spell] in Chelsea, he was still young. At Manchester United, he is still improving. At Inter he became the top man.
The new football season is upon us and there are 500 live games to watch, as well as access to Cricket, Golf, F1, Boxing, NFL and the NBA in eight dedicated channels, Sky Sports is only way to see all actions.
Get Sky Sports for £22 a month
HEAVEN
“He became loved – a lot of love from the supporters, love from teammates, a good relationship with the coach. He is a big man, very strong physically, but there is also a child inside who needs that love, that needs support, that needs to feel important.â€
Lukaku bagged 14 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for Inter Milan last season, notching a further seven assists.
Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Football Glasses content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and ads from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out anytime you want. If you are curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.