Napoli chiefs are reportedly set to arrive in London today to hold talks with Chelsea over the signing of Romelu Lukaku.
The 31-year-old striker has not played for Chelsea for over two years and is not part of Enzo Maresca’s future plans. He could now return to Serie A for the third straight season after previous loan spells at Inter Milan and Roma.
Napoli sent an official bid on Monday that has not been accepted, but Fabrizio Romano has revealed that further talks are set to take place as both clubs look to move forward with a deal.
Romano revealed on Wednesday that all of the parties involved in the deal expect Lukaku to join Napoli, but the final details still need to be ironed out.
Lukaku has two years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea wanting a fee close to his release clause of £36million.
Napoli and Chelsea chiefs are set to hold talks over a deal for Romelu Lukaku on Thursday
Lukaku has not played for Chelsea for over two years and is not part of Enzo Maresca’s plans
Lukaku could now be reunited with Antonio Conte at Napoli if a deal can be agreed
Should Lukaku get his move to Napoli, he would be reunited with Antonio Conte. The pair won Serie A together with Inter back in 2020-21, before Lukaku got his lucrative £98m move to Chelsea.
But his time at Stamford Bridge has been little short of disastrous, leading to Lukaku being loaned out for each of the last two seasons.
Conte has previously got the best out of Lukaku, and hopes to get a deal over the line for the Belgian forward after enduring a nightmare start to his Napoli reign as they were beaten 3-0 by Verona on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Napoli are also understood to be looking to find a solution for Victor Osimhen after he missed their opening game of the season.
The Nigerian star has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea, and his future could also be discussed at the meeting, although any deal would be separate to the Lukaku one.
Chelsea and Napoli are also in talks over a separate deal that could see Victor Osimhen move to the Premier League club
Osimhen boasts an impressive record of 76 goals in 133 appearances for Napoli since joining the club four years ago.
Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has been trying to convince his fellow countryman to join the Blues, but a famous Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned the 25-year-old not to move to the English club as he could ‘kill his career’.