Chelsea transfer given 'here we go' as Liverpool 'shortlist' Blues defender

Chelsea look set to offload one of their unwanted stars with another player reportedly being eyed. Frontman Romelu Lukaku was always expected to move on this summer having failed to fit in following his £100million return in 2021, making just 26 league appearances.

Napoli made it clear early this summer that they wanted Lukaku amid the expectation Victor Osimhen will leave before the end of the window, and Lukaku reportedly told the Serie A club he would wait for them to secure a deal.

The clubs have struggled to agree a deal over recent weeks, but fresh face-to-face talks in London on Friday yielded an agreement, according to Fabrizio Romano. He tweeted: “Romelu Lukaku to Napoli, here we go! Verbal agreement in place between clubs. Chelsea accept €30m fixed fee plus add-ons up to €15m for €45m potential package. Permanent transfer brokered by Ali Barat for Epic Sports. Lukaku will sign 3 year deal at Napoli until 2027.”

While Chelsea will lose a huge amount of money on their Lukaku investment, it remains a big boost to get the unwanted striker out of the club and for a significant fee as Enzo Maresca looks to trim his squad. Though, it remains to be seen whether the Blues will move to sign a big-name striker with Osimhen having already been linked.

Colwill interest

While Chelsea have a big list of players they want to get rid of ahead of the August 30 deadline, centre-back Levi Colwill will not be one of those players having started the Premier League opener last weekend.

Chelsea have been linked with a move for Liverpool wantaway Joe Gomez this summer, but it seems the Reds have lined up a Blues star as a possible replacement for Gomez. Reports suggest Liverpool are open to keeping Gomez if a deal does not pan out, but they won’t stand in his way of becoming a starter elsewhere this summer having largely been a substitute last season.

With that in mind, Liverpool, who are yet to strike a deal this summer, are said to have shortlisted Colwill as one of their potential Gomez replacements. GiveMeSport say Colwill, Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie and RB Leipzig’s Mohamed Simakan are all options. Colwill would likely command a big fee, under contract until 2029.