Romelu Lukaku tells Chelsea he wants to join Roma

Romelu Lukaku, a Belgian striker who plays for Chelsea and the Belgium national team, has reportedly expressed his desire to join Roma, an Italian club, on loan for the rest of the season. According to Metro, Lukaku is not happy at Chelsea and wants to reunite with his former manager, Jose Mourinho, who is set to take charge of Roma next season.

Lukaku joined Chelsea in 2019 from Manchester United for a fee of £75 million. He scored 12 goals in 34 appearances for the Blues last season, helping them reach the final of the Champions League, where they lost to Bayern Munich. However, he has fallen out of favour with the current Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino, who prefers to use Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham as his main strikers. Lukaku has not played a single minute for Chelsea this season and has been demoted to the under-21 squad.

Roma are keen to sign Lukaku as they look to bolster their attack and challenge for the Serie A title. They have offered Chelsea a loan deal with an option to buy for £40 million next summer. Chelsea are willing to let Lukaku go, but they want a higher fee or an obligation to buy instead of an option. The two clubs are still negotiating the terms of the deal and hope to reach an agreement before the transfer window closes on August 31.

Lukaku is one of the most prolific strikers in Europe, having scored 252 goals in 504 club appearances and 59 goals in 91 international caps. He is also Belgium’s all-time top scorer and has won several individual and team awards, including the Premier League Golden Boot in 2017 and the Europa League in 2018. He is known for his strength, speed, finishing, and aerial ability. He is also a versatile player who can play as a lone striker, a second striker, or a winger.

Lukaku’s potential move to Roma could be a good opportunity for him to revive his career and work with a manager who appreciates his qualities. Mourinho coached Lukaku at Manchester United for two seasons and helped him score 42 goals in 96 games. Mourinho has praised Lukaku as a “fantastic professional” and a “team player” who can adapt to different systems and roles. He has also said that he would be happy to work with him again at Roma.