Chelsea receive surprise boost to speed up Romelu Lukaku exit with £4.5m fee confirmed

AS Roma are close to agreeing a deal with Chelsea for the signing of striker Romelu Lukaku after holding positive talks in London.

The Belgian striker is Chelsea’s highest earner on a reported £325k-a-week wages, he is however desperate to leave the west London club just as the club is also desperate to see him leave.

According to LondonWorld sources, AS Roma will pay a loan fee of just £4.5million and will demand that Lukaku agrees to reduce his wages to around £7million, around £5million less than what he currently earns at Chelsea.

Both parties are working to find a solution to the situation with Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino confirming he was waiting for the club to find a solution to the striker’s situation.

Pochettino told the press: “The situation with the player you are asking, is a situation that was already really clear before we arrived here. There was a wish between the club and the player to try to find a solution.

‌”At the moment we are relaxed and nothing happened. If something changes we will inform you. If the player and club’s wish is to find a solution, it’s not me, it’s them.”

Lukaku himself admitted he was nervous ahead of sealing the deal having seen two moves collapse at the last minute. The striker said during a Belgian youth tournament on Saturday: “I am nervous. Tomorrow I am flying to Rome.”

Everything about the success of the deal now depends on the £97.5million signing that backfired spectacularly before his exit to Inter Milan on loan where he helped them reach the final of the Champions League against Manchester City.