Chelsea have embarked on their pre-season tour to the United States, but Romelu Lukaku is notably absent from the 28-player squad. The Belgian striker, who recently returned from a loan spell at Roma and had a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign, is not part of the English club’s plans for the upcoming season.
Calciomercato report how the London-based team, now under the guidance of Italian manager Enzo Maresca, is set to play five friendly matches against Wrexham, Celtic, Club America, Manchester City, and Real Madrid during their US tour. They will then return to face Inter Milan on August 11th, just a week before the Premier League season kicks off.
Chelsea have set a price tag of around €30 million for Lukaku, signalling their intent to sell the striker permanently. This figure hasn’t deterred Napoli, where Antonio Conte is eagerly awaiting Lukaku’s arrival. The striker recently liked one of Conte’s Instagram posts, fuelling speculation about their potential reunion. The pair previously worked together at Inter Milan, where they clinched a Serie A title.
Lukaku has reportedly already reached an agreement with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, with a proposed salary of €7 million net per year. However, the final piece of the puzzle involves Victor Osimhen’s potential transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. While this negotiation has slowed down slightly, it’s believed to be only a matter of time before it’s resolved. Alternatively, Osimhen might consider offers from Saudi Arabia.
As the pieces fall into place, it seems increasingly likely that Conte and Lukaku will soon be working together again, this time in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.
