Fabrizio Romano says Chelsea are in 'advanced stages' of securing transfer agreement


Chelsea are said to be in the ‘advanced stages’ of striking a deal as they prepare for their Premier League opener this weekend. The Blues face Manchester City on Sunday as they look to kick off their new season with a bang.
Enzo Maresca has been handed a number of new signings already this summer, with Pedro Neto being the most expensive of the bunch, arriving from Wolves for more than £50million. We could yet see more new arrivals, including a big-money striker, with the Blues reportedly eyeing Napoli frontman Victor Osimhen ahead of the deadline at the end of the month.
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Hide AdBut exits will also be important as Chelsea look to balance the books, something they have done a better job of this summer thanks to the departures of Ian Maatsen and others. A number of players have been made available, and the player the Blues arguably want to offload most is Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian striker has not worked out following his Stamford Bridge return for one reason, and Chelsea have already accepted that they will lose at least 70% of their £100million investment. Serie A giants Napoli are said to be pushing for a deal, with Lukaku keen to work with Antonio Conte again, but the Italian club are not likely to be able to make a move until Osimhen’s future is sorted.
Chelsea are a potential destination for Osimhen, but it looks as though the Lukaku deal is much closer to being agreed at this stage. “This week in London a director of Napoli has been working on the deal for Romelu Lukaku,” Fabrizio Romano told CaughtOffside.
“We know that Lukaku has an agreement with Napoli for a three-year contract, the salary is okay and the player is already talking with Antonio Conte. He wants to go to Napoli, but work is still ongoing.
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Hide Ad“During these conversations I can tell you, once again, that Chelsea told Napoli clearly that they have Victor Osimhen on their list and they want to make a move for him, but as of now, Chelsea have still not presented a contract proposal to the player. So, I would say we are still at the early stages of the Osimhen story, but at the advanced stages of the Lukaku story.”
Lukaku’s stance
Lukaku has been quiet on the situation, telling a reporter late last season: "I don't know. You'll have to ask Chelsea what they want to do." The 31-year-old is under contract until 2026 as things stand.
There were reports of interest from other Italian clubs earlier in the summer with the striker having spent time at Inter Milan and AS Roma over the last couple of seasons. But reports suggest Lukaku wants to join Napoli and is waiting patiently to secure a move to Naples. In the meantime, it’s claimed Lukaku is training away from the first team.
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